(Prague 1840–1915 Munich)
Monkeys as Referees in the Fight between an Elephant and a Hippopotamus, signed G. v. Max, oil on panel, 52 x 62 cm, framed

Provenance:
Sale, Weinmüller, Munich, 21 September 1972, lot 1532;
Art trade, Germany;
Private Collection, Germany.

Gabriel von Max was a sought-after painter during his lifetime and was strongly attracted to supernatural, spiritual and religious themes. This influence was clear in his paintings, which were also characterised by his passionate observations of nature. Gabriel von Max was an enthusiastic researcher of prehistory and early history, anthropology, zoology and ethnography. This resulted in a collection of around 60,000 objects, including the largest collection of skulls of his time. He had a great passion for monkeys, and even kept his own troop in Munich and put great care into raising them. His animals served as motifs for his paintings again and again, including in the present lot, which shows a fight between an elephant and a hippopotamus. Surrounded by an animal audience of lions, baboons, tigers, zebras, camels and giraffes, two powerful animals tussle in the centre. Monkeys act as referees, closely observing the action.