Harlekin

Eduard Veith prints bring the dreamy, elegant women and mythological fantasies of fin-de-siècle Vienna into your home. Veith was an Austrian portrait painter, fresco painter and stage designer, a friend of Gustav Klimt, whose Symbolist pictures of women were much admired around 1900. Our collection of fine art prints covers his portraits, allegories, nymphs and nereids, religious scenes and Viennese genre pictures.

About Eduard Veith

Eduard Veith was born on 30 March 1858 in Neutitschein in Moravia, now Nový Jičín in the Czech Republic, the son of the decorative painter Julius Veith. He first trained to follow his father's trade, then studied in Vienna at the school of the Museum of Applied Arts under Ferdinand Laufberger. He finished his training by creating sgraffito decorations for exhibition buildings at the Paris Exposition Universelle.

After working with his father painting churches, synagogues and other buildings, and travelling to Italy, Belgium and Tunisia, he settled in Vienna as an independent artist working mostly on commission. He joined the Vienna Künstlerhaus in 1890 and won a gold medal at the Great Berlin Art Exhibition in 1896. He became a professor at the University of Technology in 1905, married Bertha Griesbeck in 1911, and from 1920 was a professor at the school of applied arts.

Veith was especially admired as a fresco painter. He painted the great ceiling of the Maria-Theresia-Saal in the Vienna Hofburg for Emperor Franz Joseph, and worked often with the theatre architects Fellner & Helmer, painting frescoes for the Vienna Volkstheater, the Diana-Bad and buildings on the Ringstrasse, and theatre curtains in Vienna and Prague. He died in Vienna on 18 March 1925.

Style and Subjects

Veith worked in the tradition of grand decorative painting associated with Hans Makart and the early Gustav Klimt, favouring mythological and historical subjects. His Symbolist pictures of women, often mysterious or mystical in mood, formed a key part of his reputation around 1900.

He was linked with Jugendstil but stayed slightly too academic for the Vienna Secession, which he never joined, though he and Klimt remained friends and admired each other's work. His fin-de-siècle themes and hints of the occult connect him with Gabriel von Max and Albert von Keller.

Famous Works

• Viennese Girl (1895). A lively portrait of a young Viennese woman.
• The King's Daughter, Belvedere, Vienna. A Symbolist fairy-tale subject.
• Portrait of Louise Dobner von Dobenau (1904). An elegant society portrait.
• Portrait of a Young Woman in a Red Dress (1909). A striking portrait in rich red.
• Fiammetta (1911). A dreamy, romantic portrait of a woman.
• The Japanese Fan (1925). A late picture of a woman with a fan.
• Nereiden (1925). Sea nymphs in a decorative mythological scene.

Decorating with Veith Prints

Veith's portraits of women, like Fiammetta or the Portrait of a Young Woman in a Red Dress, suit a bedroom, dressing room or sitting room, especially in Art Nouveau or Belle Époque-inspired interiors with velvet, brass and rich colour.

His mythological scenes, such as Nereiden or Fountain of Youth, make a decorative statement in a dining room or living room, and his Viennese genre scenes are charming in a hallway or study.

FAQ

Who was Eduard Veith?

Eduard Veith (1858–1925) was an Austrian portrait painter, fresco painter and stage designer from Moravia who worked in Vienna. He is known for his Symbolist portraits of women and his decorative ceilings and theatre curtains.

Was Eduard Veith part of the Vienna Secession?

No. He was linked with Jugendstil but was considered too academic for the Secession and never joined it, though he was a lifelong friend of Gustav Klimt.

What are Eduard Veith's most important works?

His best-known decorative work is the ceiling fresco of the Maria-Theresia-Saal in the Vienna Hofburg. He also painted frescoes and curtains for theatres built by Fellner & Helmer.

Where can I see Veith's work?

The Belvedere in Vienna holds his painting The King's Daughter, and his frescoes can be seen in Vienna buildings such as the Volkstheater.

Related Artists

• Gustav Klimt: lifelong friend whose early decorative work shares his tradition
• Hans Makart: Viennese master of grand decorative painting he followed
• Gabriel von Max: painter of mystical and occult themes of the same period
• Albert von Keller: contemporary who also painted mystic and occult subjects