"Place in the kitchen: country spouse"

(1832 Wiedensahl - 1908 Mechtshausen) "Kitchen Space with a Farming Couple" (also titled "Kitchen Space" or "Room with Farmers in Red Jackets"). In a kitchen depicted with predominantly earthy, brown, and gray colors and a quick brushstroke, sparsely illuminated, stands a farmer with a large jug. Behind him, as a background figure, is a farmer's wife in a red blouse. The work reflects the immediate influence of Dutch-Flemish painters of the 17th century, such as Adriaen van Ostade, Isaac van Ostade, and David Teniers. Busch studied from 1851 to 1853 at the Art Academy in Düsseldorf and then at the Academy in Antwerp, where he could enthusiastically see the old masters in the original. The Antwerp period and the knowledge of Dutch-Flemish painting of the 17th century, which deeply influenced him, formed the basis for Busch's work as a painter. The focus of his mostly small-scale paintings are rural motifs with peasant figures, such as the so-called "Red Jacket" pictures. The present painting also emerged from Busch's engagement with this theme. Oil on paper, mounted on a thin wooden panel. Label mounted on the verso with a certificate of authenticity by Frau Professor Nöldeke: "I hereby confirm that the painting 'Kitchen Space' by Wilhelm Busch was painted by him and has been in my possession since his death. Verden, April 20, (19)22, Frau Professor Nöldeke." Label of the collection Georg Schäfer, Schweinfurt, with inventory number 3809971. 20.3 cm x 24.7 cm. Framed. Literature/catalogue raisonné: Hans Georg Gmelin, Wilhelm Busch als Maler, Berlin 1980, catalogue number 338 with illustration. Provenance: Elisabeth Nöldeke née Koch (1871-1952), wife of Busch's nephew Adolf Nöldeke (1865-1919), Verden 1922; Collection Georg Schäfer, Schweinfurt (label on verso); Special auction of the Schäfer collection at Neumeister, Munich, February 27, 1999, lot 43; Private collection, Westphalia.