The violinist at the window

Otto Scholderer prints bring together the quiet, closely observed art of a Frankfurt painter who was friends with Manet and Fantin-Latour. Scholderer painted still lifes of game, flowers and fruit, warm portraits and a life-size violinist at a window, and he filled sketchbooks with drawings of his wife and family. Our collection of fine art prints includes his self-portrait, still lifes, portraits and hundreds of drawings.

About Otto Scholderer

Otto Scholderer was born in Frankfurt am Main on 25 January 1834 and trained at the Städel art school from 1849 under Jakob Becker and Johann David Passavant. On study trips to Paris in 1857–58 he became friends with Henri Fantin-Latour and Édouard Manet and moved in Gustave Courbet's circle. Fantin-Latour later painted him into A Studio at Les Batignolles (1870), now in the Musée d'Orsay.

He worked in the painters' colony at Kronberg, in Düsseldorf, in Paris again and briefly in Munich. His sister Ida married the painter Victor Müller. In 1871 he moved to London, where he lived until 1899, painting portraits and still lifes. There he married Luise Steuerwaldt and drew her again and again; their son Victor Scholderer became a noted librarian at the British Museum.

Scholderer returned to Frankfurt in 1899 and died there on 22 January 1902.

Style and Subjects

Scholderer's paintings are calm, solid and true to life, in the realist spirit of his Paris friends. His still lifes set dead game, mushrooms, a blue vase or dahlias and peaches against plain grey walls, with soft, natural light and muted, harmonious colour.

His drawings are the heart of the collection. Luise asleep on the sofa, costume ball preparations, children and family scenes: they are tender, informal studies in pencil, full of everyday life.

Famous Works

• The Violinist at the Window (1861), Städel Museum, Frankfurt. His chief work, a life-size musician at a window; the store print is the 1859 pencil sketch for it.
• Self-Portrait at 24 (Selbstbildnis des 24-jährigen Künstlers) (1858). The young artist in the year of his Paris friendships.
• Still Life with Dead Hare and Guinea Fowl in Front of a Grey Wall, Städel Museum, Frankfurt. Game laid out in soft light against a plain wall.
• Still Life with Blue Vase and Mushrooms, Städel Museum, Frankfurt. A quiet arrangement in cool blues and earthy browns.
• Bouquet of Dahlias and Peaches on an Entablature (1893). A late flower and fruit piece from his London years.
• Portrait of Elizabeth Bruel Seated with Her Hands in a Muff. A colour portrait from London.
• Luise Scholderer Asleep on the Sofa. A tender drawing of his wife.
• Preparing for the Costume Ball (c. 1879–1880). A study for a domestic scene of dressing up.

Decorating with Scholderer Prints

Scholderer's still lifes suit a dining room or kitchen, where game, mushrooms, fruit and flowers feel right at home. Their muted tones work well with dark wood, deep green or grey walls and brass.

His drawings of Luise and the family are perfect for a bedroom, a reading corner or a hallway, grouped in simple oak frames with pale mounts. The self-portrait and the violinist sketch make a thoughtful pair in a study or music room.

FAQ

Who was Otto Scholderer?

Otto Scholderer (1834–1902) was a German painter from Frankfurt who trained at the Städel school, befriended Manet and Fantin-Latour in Paris and lived in London from 1871 to 1899.

What is Otto Scholderer's most famous painting?

The Violinist at the Window (1861), in the Städel Museum in Frankfurt, is regarded as his chief work.

How is Scholderer connected to Fantin-Latour?

They became friends in Paris in 1857–58, and Fantin-Latour painted him into A Studio at Les Batignolles (1870), now in the Musée d'Orsay.

Where can I see Scholderer's paintings?

The Städel Museum in Frankfurt holds The Violinist at the Window and several still lifes. The National Gallery in London holds his portrait of his wife.

Who was Victor Scholderer?

Otto's son, who became a noted librarian at the British Museum.

Related Artists

• Victor Müller: Frankfurt painter and his brother-in-law
• Henri Fantin-Latour: his close friend from Paris
• Jakob Becker: his teacher at the Städel school
• Hans Thoma: German painter he knew in Düsseldorf
• Wilhelm Leibl: German realist whose Munich circle he joined