The Family of Mr. Westphal in the Conservatory

Eduard Gaertner

1836 · Oil on canvas · European Paintings

This light-filled conservatory belonged to the prosperous Berlin wool merchant Christian Carl Westphal, a passionate horticulturist. The stark glass structure here serves as a Biedermeier day-room for his family. Gaertner was the preeminent painter of Berlin’s grand new boulevards, but this is one of only four interior scenes he is known to have painted; it may have been owned by Westphal, who was his landlord.

Artist

Eduard Gaertner

Date

1836

Medium

Oil on canvas

Department

European Paintings

Credit line

Purchase, funds from various donors, by exchange, 2007