The Robber and His Child

Gallery 391, European Art 1500-1850, third floor

Main Building

The Robber and His Child

1832

Karl Friedrich Lessing (German, 1808–1880)

At the time this painting was made, popular stories celebrated noble outcasts as victims of social circumstances beyond their control. Here, the robber is a defeated man who may have turned to stealing to feed the child he so tenderly shelters under his arm. Isolated in a harsh, rocky landscape, the figures invite our sympathy.

Gallery 391, European Art 1500-1850, third floor

Object Details

Title:

The Robber and His Child

Date:

1832

Artist:

Karl Friedrich Lessing (German, 1808–1880)

Medium:

Oil on canvas

Dimensions:

16 5/8 × 19 1/8 inches (42.2 × 48.6 cm)

Classification:

Paintings

Credit Line:

The W. P. Wilstach Collection, bequest of Anna H. Wilstach, 1893

Accession Number:

W1893-1-65

Geography:

Made in Germany, Europe

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Gallery 391, European Art 1500-1850, third floor

Main Building

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