Szabó Lajos (XIX-XX) - Drei Kätzchen

Fine oil painting on an authentic hardwood panel. Depicted are three playing cats beside an ashtray with a burning cigar, an unusual subject matter. The work is signed with "Szabo Lajos", dated 19 April 1900, somewhat difficult to read. The piece is in very good condition for its age, with small damages and soiling.

The work is professionally framed with hanging hardware. The frame is damaged at the bottom right and is included free of charge.

Only the cover image was generated with AI, as the background had to be changed to white.

All other photos are unedited. Some photos were taken in daylight (the bright ones) and some in the dark with artificial light (slightly warmer bulb).

Dimensions with frame: 50 cm x 40 cm

"Three Kittens at Tea" – Signed oil painting by Lajos Szabó (1908)
The present object is a historical oil painting on a wooden panel, depicting a typical humorous genre motif of the year 1900. The work can be regarded as a kunsthistorical time document reflecting the bourgeois salon interior’s taste for anthropomorphic animal representations ("kittens as human substitutes").

Artistic classification and signature: The work is signed and dated in the lower left area with "Szabó Lajos 1900. 4. 19." Lajos Szabó was a Hungarian painter whose work was often influenced by late Romantic genre painting trends. The exact dating to 19 April 1908 gives the object a clear historical anchoring. Such works served in the early 20th century as popular wall decoration objects, which by their “cute” imagery suggested a perfect world.

Physical condition: The painting is presented in a historical, stuccoed wooden frame with a gold finish. The frame shows age-typical ornamental design that directs focus to the image interior.

Analysis of the image motif: The composition shows three kittens arranged on a wooden table. Notably, the artist’s attention to detail in depicting the animals stands out: the left and middle kittens sit in a frontal, nearly portrait-like pose, while the right kitten interacts. A distinctive iconographic element is the teacup on a saucer, paired with a cigar lying on the table. This arrangement creates a quasi-surreal, humorous note intended to make the viewer smile. The color palette is rendered in muted, earthy tones, with a typical blue-gray background that effectively highlights the light patches of fur and the fine painting of the teacup.

Graphic design and execution: The brushwork suggests an academically trained artist who focused on detailed rendering of fur textures and light reflections in the cup. The painting technique is traditional; light comes from the upper left, which is characteristic of a classic studio composition of the genre.

Material condition and collector’s valuation: The condition of the painting is authentic and well-preserved for its age. The frame shows expected signs of aging—slight bumps on the stucco ornaments and the gold finish, which, however, enhance the object’s charm.

Genre paintings from the late 19th and early 20th centuries with animal motifs consistently attract demand among specialist collectors as well as lovers of historical salon furnishings.

Summary for the archive: This object is a multisensory time capsule document that preserves the domestic atmosphere and the artistic zeitgeist of 1900. It is a charming example of the popular art of its era and enriches collections focusing on genre painting or everyday culture of the early 20th century.

Item data sheet:
Artist: Szabó Lajos
Title: Three Kittens at Tea
Dating: 19 April 1900
Technique: Oil on wood
Frame: Historical gold-colored wooden frame (stuccoed)
Condition: Good, appropriate for age with authentic patina
Significance: Document of early 20th-century genre painting

Please note regarding measurement assessment: I often photographed the dimensions with a tape measure. The measurements are frequently imprecise due to electronic processing and may be extracted inaccurately in the description.

Please note that all information regarding the dating of this work has been provided to the best of our knowledge, but no guarantee or claim to accuracy can be made. 100% certainty would require material analysis. Only bid if you possess sufficient expertise to determine a correct dating from the supplied photos yourself. The seller and also the Catawiki experts assume no liability for an incorrect dating. Therefore, rely exclusively on the photos as the decisive descriptive features.