Alexey Ivanovich Trankowsky: "The Jewish Wedding". (1847-1904) The Jewish Wedding, by "A. Trankowsky" (Poland, ca. 1875-1900)A 19th-century Russian genre painter, Trankowsky captured the exotic scenes and faces of those living in the Russian Empire. This scene of a Jewish wedding in a Pale of Settlement became very popular at the turn of the century. Published as an illustration in the September 1902 issue of the German Jewish cultural magazine "Ost und West," it was also reproduced on popular postcards printed in Berlin, Warsaw, and New York.
The original Trankowsky by all certainty is in the Magnes Museum in Berkeley, California. They also have a second example which they have posted on https://magnes.berkeley.edu/?s=Trankowsky which gives a heavily researched history of alternative versions. Vladimir Petrov, a foremost expert on 19th-century Russian paintings, has in the past publicly addressed "The Jewish Wedding". He identified a group of Russian genre artists at the end of the 19th century whose works were so popular that their paintings were copied extensively, often with the signatures of the original artist. So are these forgeries? Not really, these were almost tributes. And the artistry found in these homage paintings are superb. The Jewish Wedding offered here is absolutely compelling. The exquisite craftsmanship in the background, the apparel and faces remarkably detailed and certainly the veil on the bride and the illumination of the young girl is masterful.
For those in the LA area we invite you to preview this work. It is a significant piece of Jewish history and artistry. Canvas is 30 x 40" and framed to 33 x 43". Canvas has been relined possibly decades past and we note a tiny fleck in lower corner.
Estimated Value $15,000 - 20,000
Judaica
