B-06

Type:

Bach Painting

Title:

J.E. Rentsch the elder (?)

Description:

Alleged to depict J.S. Bach as Konzertmeister while at Weimar. Found in about 1877 in the attic of a house in Erfurt. Renovated and declared by Alfred Overmann, the director of City Museum of Erfurt, to be possibly a picture of Bach. Doubt was subsequently thrown on its authenticity (Schering, Landmann, etc.), but Besseler (I) attributed it in 1956 on art-historical grounds, and with a probable date of 1715, to Rentsch. In spite of several unusual details of feature and dress, Besseler was sure of its authenticity, particularly because of ophthalmological characteristics, and included it among his “Five Genuine Portraits” as important “document from the period of the emergence of his genius”. Other experts (cf. Freysc VI) tentatively date it half a century later, however, on the basis of technical paint-tests and style, and thus believe its authenticity to be in further doubt.

Measures:

Oil on canvas
6o x 44 cm
With no artist's signature, but earlier with the following words on the back in a reputedly original rococo handwriting: "Joh. Sebast. Bach / geb. d. 21. Mar. 1685 / zu Eisenach".

Creator:

Painter: Joachim Ernst Rentsch the elder (d 1723) (?), Weimar court painter, who during Bach’s term of office in Weimar is known to have made a number of portraits of members of the court.

History:

Found in about 1877 in the attic of a house in Erfurt. Owned until 1907 by a master tailor who collected pictures and bought from him by the Angermuseum, the City Museum of Erfurt.

Current Location:

Angermuseum - Städtisches Museum, Erfurt

Photograph by:

Photograph by Rolf Langematz, Leipzig

Comments:

According to Teri Noel Towe's research this is not a portrait of J.S. Bach.

Buy book at:

Amazon.de [Bach-Dokumente]

Source/Links: Bach-Dokumente: Bilddokumente zur Lebensgeschichte Johann Sebastian Bachs: Bd 4 (Bärenreiter, 1979) | The Face of Bach
Contributor: Aryeh Oron & Thomas Braatz (December 2007 - January 2008)