The Hidden Lover

Amusing genre scene of a young man hiding under a bed while a young woman tries to shield him from her husband's gaze. Dimensions 19.5 x 24.5 cm. Framed 26.5 x 31 cm. Old restoration on the back. Johann Eleazar Zeissig was a German painter born in Gross Schonau (near Dresden) around 1737 and died in Dresden in 1806. He was one of the founders of the German School of painting. He traveled to Paris, where he was welcomed and trained by his compatriot, the engraver Johann Georg Wille (1715-1808). In 1770, he was summoned by the Elector of Saxony to head the Dresden Academy. His painting "A Family Drawing Shadow Puppets" was sold at Christie's for 31,200 euros in 2005. Several of his works are in museums: in Clermont-Ferrand, Roger-Quilliot Art Museum: The Little Schoolgirl (1770); in Paris, Louvre Museum, Department of Graphic Arts: Family Concert.