{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O121600"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O121600/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2007BN6064/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2007BN6064/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2007BN6064","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2017KB7566","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O121600/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O121600","accessionNumber":"1067-1886","objectType":"Oil painting","titles":[{"title":"Midnight Fires on the Alps","type":""}],"summaryDescription":"Julius Köckert (1827-1918) was born in Leipzig.  He studied in Coblenz and in Cologne before moving to Prague in 1843.  He was in Bavaria in 1848 and settled in Munich in 1850.  He was best known for painting Alpine scenes such as this one and especially well-known for a work entitled 'Hochzeitsfahrt auf dem Chiemsee', which he painted frequently.\r\n\r\nThis painting is a fine example of Köckert's Alpine scenes. It shows a group of people in traditional costumes playing instruments and listening to the music around a fire at night. Such subject matter commemorating the contemporary rustic life was particularly praised in Germany during the second half of the 19th century.  It draws in part from the 17th-century Dutch imagery but was also influenced by the Biedermeier aesthetic.","physicalDescription":"A fire blazes at the far left of the image, casting its light on a group of men and women.  The woman furthest to the left is in shadow and sits with her back to the viewer, facing three other seated figures.  From left to right these are: a woman with her left arm resting on her knee and her chin resting on her left hand; a man with some sort of wind instrument raised to his lips; a bare-footed woman wearing a hat with an object on her lap.  To the right of this group a boy and a dog lie on the grass.  The boy has his left arm around the dog and he looks toward the man playing the wind instrument.  Behind the seated group is a large boulder, to the left of this stand three more figures.  From left to right these are: a bearded man holding a long stick and wearing a tall hat; a young ?man/woman (can only see their face, their body in obscured by the other figures); another young woman wearing a hat.  To the right of the boulder is a young woman holding her hat in her raised right hand and resting her left hand on the boulder.  She stands with her back to the rest of the group and looks out into the darkness at other mountain fires in the distance, which appear as tiny orange specs.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Köckert, Julius","id":"A17318"},"association":{"text":"artist","id":"AAT25103"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"oil paint","id":"AAT15050"},{"text":"canvas","id":"AAT14078"}],"techniques":[{"text":"oil painting","id":"AAT178684"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Oil on canvas","categories":[{"text":"Paintings","id":"THES48917"}],"styles":[{"text":"German School","id":"x37758"}],"collectionCode":{"text":"PDP","id":"THES48595"},"images":["2007BN6064","2017KB7566"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"SM004","id":"THES325295"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"oil paintings","id":"AAT33799"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Munich","id":"x29009"},"association":{"text":"painted","id":"x30138"},"note":"probably"}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"ca. 1850-1885","earliest":"1845-01-01","latest":"1885-12-31"},"association":{"text":"painted","id":"x30138"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Bequeathed by Joshua Dixon","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"109.2","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"estimate","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"160","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"estimate","note":""},{"dimension":"","value":"","unit":"","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":"Measurement taken at time of assessment prior to BH decant - Frame Dimensions (mm): n/a;\nPainting Dimensions (mm): not measured"}],"dimensionsNote":"Dimensions taken from C.M. Kauffmann, <i>Catalogue of Foreign Paintings, II. 1800-1900</i>, London, Victoria and Albert Museum,  1973","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"Julius Köckert München","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"Signed lower left"}],"objectHistory":"Bequeathed by Joshua Dixon, 1886\n\nHistorical significance: This painting was probably made after 1850 when Köckert settled in Munich where he produced most of his genre scenes. However it remains an interesting painting dominated by a strong contrast, which differs slightly from the rest of his oeuvre depicting sunny landscapes. It may be that the rather dark tones of the present work were due to a dirty varnish that has darkened over time. This painting is typical of the type of genre scenes produced in the second half of the century, characterised by a high degree of finish and in a manner that was still sentimental, reminiscent of the Biedermeier imagery.","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Oil painting on canvas, 'Midnight Fires on the Alps', Julius Köckert, German school, ca. 1850-1885","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Kauffmann, C.M. <u>Catalogue of Foreign Paintings, II. 1800-1900 </u>, London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1973, p. 56, cat. no. 121."}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"people","id":"AAT24979"},{"text":"fire","id":"AAT68986"},{"text":"mountains","id":"AAT8795"},{"text":"dog","id":"AAT24149"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["1067-1886"],"accessionNumberNum":"1067","accessionNumberPrefix":"","accessionYear":1886,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":["2024NX0600"],"recordModificationDate":"2026-09-24","recordCreationDate":"2006-03-02","availableToBook":true}}