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Christian Friedrich Mayr

Magazine Antiques, Nov, 1998 by Helene M. Kastinger Riley

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Among Mayr's paintings that emphasize the humorous aspect of life, Curiosity (Pl. VIII) shows three elegantly dressed young women eavesdropping on the owner of the hat and gloves. He is in the next room, perhaps a suitor of one of them. It's Too Tight (Pl. IX) captures a young man trying to squeeze into a tight-fitting boot. His landlady has been attracted by the noise of the chair falling over, and a servant stands by with an amused smile. In both paintings Mayr has carefully recorded furnishings as well as carpet and wallpaper patterns.

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A number of Mayr's paintings, known now only from descriptions in exhibition records and newspaper notices, depicted the relations between Indians and the early European settlers. Among the titles are Captain Smith in Virginia, which is probably the same as Capt. Smiths visit to Powhattan of about 1837 in which Smith was described as surrounded by curious dancing Indians, among whom is Pocahontas.(24) Conquest of Peru, exhibited at the National Academy in New York City in 1849, is described as depicting "King Atahualpa Filling a Room with Gold To Purchase his Freedom from Pizzaro."(25) Still other titles are The Chieftains Wife, exhibited at the National Academy in 1836, and The Ransom of Montezuma, exhibited in Baltimore in 1850.(26)

The location of many of Mayr's paintings, like these history paintings, is unknown, which is in part why few critics have discussed his work in detail.(27) Yet his keen eye for social subtleties offers a refreshing look at the United States in many of its facets, including pride in historical achievements. He deserves more attention than he has received.

1 Thomas Seir Cummings, Historic Annals of the National Academy of Design...from 1825 to the Present Time (Philadelphia, 1865), p. 229.

2 For extensive information about the family I am grateful to the Archivoberninspektorin Annemarie Muller of the Landeskirchliches Archiv in Nuremberg, who also sent me copies of pertinent entries in the records of the Evangelical Lutheran Parish Nurnberg-Sankt Lorenz.

3 Michael Bryan, Bryan's Dictionary of Painters and Engravers, ed. George C. Williamson (Macmillan, New York, 1903), vol. 2, p. 201.

4 Heinrich von Mayr was born on February 22, 1806. Like his brother Christian he studied at the Royal Art Academy in Nuremberg and at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. He remained in Europe, where he became a successful painter. In 1838 he published Malerische Ansichten aus dem Oriente (Picturesque Views of the Orient), and in 1845 he published Genre-Bilder (Genre Paintings), He notes among the subscribers to the second book "christian von Mayr in Newyork" and a "von Mayer, Banquier." Heinrich died in Munich on April 5, 1871.

5 Allgemeines Lexikon der bildenden Kunstler von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart, ed. Ulrich Thieme and Felix Becker, vol. 12 (Seemann, Leipzig, 1916), p. 565.

6 Student register for the summer term of 1821. For this information I am grateful to Archivoberrattin Schmidt-Folkersamb at the Nuremberg State Archives.

Christian Friedrich Mayr

Magazine Antiques, Nov, 1998 by Helene M. Kastinger Riley

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