Josef Gisela - At The Herbalist's - Charcoal

Josef GISELA (1851-1899)
At the herbalist's
Charcoal on paper
30.6×24.6 cm on view / 45.6×39.6 cm framed
Monogrammed JG lower left (partially erased), posthumous sale stamp "Nachlass J. Gisela" lower right
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Austrian painter, Josef Gisela studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna from 1868 to 1879, before becoming a member of the Vienna Society of Fine Arts in 1888. Specializing in genre scenes, he was particularly interested in representing women in their daily lives. This drawing perfectly illustrates his talent for capturing the liveliness of their exchanges and accurately rendering the dynamics of their interactions. It is a preparatory study for the painting entitled Bei der Dürrkraütlerin (At the Herbalist), the existence of which we only know of through an old reproduction (on the Hungarian National Gallery website: https://en.mandadb.hu/dokumentum/725415/img_20160216_0033.jpg).

The accompanying description sheds light on the scene, which takes place in the shop of a seller of dried herbs and various potions. Behind his counter, beneath a stuffed bird of prey suspended like a dire omen, the herbalist hands a vial containing a love potion to an elegantly dressed young woman, seated to the right of the composition. She is looking towards another woman on the left, whose apron tied around her waist and basket filled with provisions betray her more modest circumstances. With her index finger raised and a smile on her lips, the latter appears to be giving her advice – or perhaps even warning her about the consequences of her choices.