Einzug König Ottos von Griechenland in Nauplia
Peter von Hess (1792-1871)

Einzug König Ottos von Griechenland in Nauplia,

1835
Material / Technology / Carrier
Öl auf Leinwand
Dimensions of the object
269 x 415 cm
Displayed
Not on display
Department
19. Jahrhundert
Genre
Malerei
Inventory number
WAF 352
Acquisition
1835 durch König Ludwig I. vom Künstler erworben – seit 1923 Wittelsbacher Ausgleichsfonds
Stock
Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen - Neue Pinakothek München
Citation
Peter von Hess, Einzug König Ottos von Griechenland in Nauplia, 1835, Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen - Neue Pinakothek München, URL: https://www.sammlung.pinakothek.de/en/artwork/jpxeVRVLJ7 (Last updated on 16.07.2024)
In 1832/33 Peter von Hess accompanied Otto von Bayern to Greece, where the Prince was enthroned by the European powers as king. The Greek populace had great expectations for the new king, the 17 year old son of King Ludwig I. The young king was to pave the way for the reconstruction of the country, which was formed after a victory in the war of independence against the Ottoman empire. However, King Othon was deposed in 1862 after having rejected the Greeks' requests for stronger parliamentary procedures. The painting shows the king's embarkation and ceremonial entry into Nauplia, at that time the capital of Greece. It was commissioned by King Ludwig I and was meant to document the beginning of Otto's rule in Greece, as would a similar painting of his reception in Athens, completed several years later. Hess painted a vivid, lively scene of Otto's arrival: The young king, on horseback in the foreground, and his entourage are greeted enthusiastically by the masses. The painter has rendered not only the nature in great detail, but also the individual provincial costumes. Nevertheless Hess did not paint a realistic documentation: His use of glowingly bright coloration and refined composition belies a romanticized artificiality. The movement of the figures and the rising smoke creates a scene that nearly resembles a snapshot: The salutary canon blasts appear to have just been fired off and are visually echoed by the white smoke, which is already being blown away.

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