Alberto Rieger (1834-1905), Attributed to - Paesaggio costiero

Attributed to Alberto Rieger (1834–1905) – Port view of the city of Trieste – Watercolor, 19th century

An interesting 19th-century port view, executed in watercolor and pencil on paper, depicting the city of Trieste.

The composition features numerous boats distributed across the water surface, buildings facing the port, and a settlement rising toward a hill dominated by a fortification complex. The topographic rendering of the landscape is particularly accurate, built through fine line work and light color washes in shades of blue, green, ocher, and pink.

On the back of the old framing appears the signature bearing the name “Rieger,” in addition to a broader label with a pencil inscription, now difficult to interpret. The old price in Lire is faintly visible.

The reference is particularly interesting in relation to the family of Triestine vedutisti (view painters) the Riegers, and, in particular, to Alberto Rieger (Trieste 1834 – Vienna 1905), a painter and draftsman specialized in urban and landscape views, frequently executed in watercolor.

Alberto Rieger, son of the painter and cityscape painter Giuseppe Rieger (1802–1883), studied at the Academy of Venice and worked in Trieste until his move to Vienna in 1870. Public collections in Trieste preserve numerous of his views, including works executed in pencil and watercolor on paper.

In the absence of a clearly identifiable autograph signature or further documentation, attributing the work to Alberto Rieger should nonetheless be considered prudent and is proposed on the basis of the old indication on the back and the affinities of subject, technique, and period.

The work is presented in an elegant oval gold frame, richly decorated with raised relief featuring vegetal, floral, and scroll motifs, also in an eighteenth/nineteenth-century taste.

Characteristics:

* Artist: attributed to Alberto Rieger (1834–1905)
* Subject: port view with city and fortification
* Technique: pencil and watercolor on paper
* Proposed period: second half of the 19th century
* Area: Adriatic/Mitteleuropean region
* Frame: oval, gold, with raised relief decoration
* Overall dimensions: 24.5 × 28.5 × 2.5 cm
* Image size: 14.7 × 18 cm
* Weight: 550 g

Conditions:

The work shows condition consistent with age, with widespread yellowing of the paper, light color alterations, stains, and small signs of time.

The frame shows patina, wear, and small losses of gilding.

The paper backing is old and shows tears and edge losses. The inscriptions and the historic label described above are preserved on the reverse.

The photographs constitute an integral part of the description.

Shipping

Careful and professional packaging, with anti-shock protection adequate to the artwork and frame’s fragility. Tracked shipping.