Carl Friedrich Lessing (Breslau 1808-1880 Karlsruhe)

A study for The thousand year old oak, an oil painting signed and dated 1837, which follows the composition of the drawing closely and is now in the Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt (inv. 1011; I. Jenderko-Sichelschmidt, Die Historienbilder Carl Friedrich Lessings, Cologne, 1973, Ph.D., no. 33). An oil study for the painting is in the Muzeum Narodowe, Poznan (inv. 1101; I. Jenderko-Sichelschmidt, op. cit., no. 32) and another drawn study, also signed and dated 'C.F.L. Novbr. 1835' but slightly larger, was with C.G. Boerner, Leipzig (V. Leuschner, op. cit., no. 63). According to Vera Leuschner the present drawing is either a first idea for the Frankfurt painting, or a repetition of the larger drawing.