Lot 40 Dα

Friedrich Nerly was often inspired by literary sources in his works. Whilst some paintings make only subtle reference to their poetic or dramatic sources, there are others in which he illustrates his literary inspirations directly. Nerly often chose motifs from English literature, such as Shakespeare's “Othello” or Lord Byron's “Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage”. In this work, however, which was painted by the artist at a time when he had been living in Venice since 1837, he has picked a theme from Friedrich Schiller. The work depicts a scene from his unfinished story “The Apparitionist” that was published in numerous sequels in the magazine Thalia between 1787 and 1789. Schiller's fragmentary work tells the story of a German prince from a Protestant family staying in Venice who falls prey to the intrigues of a Jesuit secret society who attempt to convert him to Catholicism. Through his conversion, as well as many other nefarious schemes, the fraternity hoped to gain influence over the German territories belonging to the prince's family. One important character in the story was a masked Armenian who followed the prince and his companion one evening, whispering strange, enigmatic words to them, only to later disappear without a trace.

Nerly depicts the scene taking place on St. Mark's Square. The figures of the three protagonists – the prince, his companion and the Armenian – stand out as dark silhouettes beside the base of the monumental column of St. Theodore against the light of the moon. This is one of only a few paintings by Nerly in which the figures are depicted larger in relation to the surrounding buildings. “Nerly sets this mysterious encounter architecturally between the tactile, sculptural base of the column and a boldly contrasting view of the Dogana and Maria de la Salute with San Giorgio in the distance, illuminated by the light of the moon between the parting clouds, but at the same time […] vaguely, as if witnessed in a dream.” (Myssok, op. cit., p. 65).

Nerly's penchant for moonlit scenes and the depiction of spectral moonlight lent itself to the motif. The water of the lagoon shines pale and silvery behind the three dark figures, further intensifying the mysterious and dangerous atmosphere evoked by the group.

The painting was created in connection with three further depictions inspired by “The Apparitionist” commissioned by the Duke of Brunswick for his summer residence Sibyllenort. Nerly wrote in a letter on 4 September 1855: “[…] I'm constantly busy and am working on a commission for 4 larger oil paintings from the Duke of Brunswick and on a subject that has been depicted in book editions but otherwise hardly ever, namely The Apparitionist by Schiller.” (cited from the German in Römische Tage - Venezianische Nächte, op. Cit., p. 57). Of the four paintings, only the whereabouts of the present, unusual work are known today.