Offering of the Day: A Splendid Still-Life by a Noted German Woman Artist

Adelheid Dietrich (born 1827)

Floral Still Life

Oil on canvas

Canvas size: 16 1/2 x 12 1/2 inches

Framed: 24 x 20 inches

Signed lower left of center in ledge: Adelheid Dietrich 1869

$32,000

Adelheid Dietrich was the daughter of the noted German artist Edward Dietrich, who made it his goal that she would continue his legacy of splendid painting.  She more than accomplished his ambitious goals, superseding even her acclaimed father to become one of the more noted German woman artists of her time.  Focusing on still lifes, Dietrich made a name for herself in a field traditionally barred to women, and proved that her gender was not a factor in artistic talent.

Dietrich’s stunning Floral Still Life highlights the reasons for her great success.  In a tour de force composition, Dietrich portrayed a mass of highly naturalistic and varied floral subjects.  Vividly colored and wonderfully animated, the flowers are painted with such naturalism that they appear to spill over into the viewer’s space.  Every nuance and tiny detail is perfectly delineated in a vivid color palette.  This painting is a true master work by this celebrated German woman painter.