August Eduard Wenzel (1895–1971) Works On The Old Port Of Marseille

A vibrant and compelling work, whose power lies in the graphic depiction of this veritable forest of masts, yards, shrouds, and rope ladders from large sailing ships moored at this pier in the Old Port, where load and unload various materials—mounds of sand or grain, blocksof white stone from Cassis or Carrara—and where a whole class of workers swarms and bustles about, including carters bustling around harnessed, harnessed horses, whether at rest or at work.
The work, in good condition, is presented in a frame with glass (which makes photography difficult) measuring 61 cm by 77 cm and 34.5 cm by 48.5 cm for the painting alone.
It depicts postwar activity on the Quai du Port in Marseille in the early 20th century.
The work is signed, located, and dated 1919 at the bottom right; on the back is an old label stating: “Property of Edgard H. Kummerfeldt.”
The sense of vibrant energy and life is striking in this lovely depiction of an era when commercial sailing shipswas nearing the end of its reign and would soon give way to steamships in aport city in transition, and where motor vehicles were replacing the animal-drawn vehicles that once shared the streets with the last great sailing ships.