The Antiquaries

Joseph Munsch 1832 - 1896

Summary

The title may be arbitrary, since the two ‘antiquaries' in lavish eighteenth-century dress seem more likely to be a lawyer (in red) and his client, who is perhaps the castle owner. The figure in red is concentrating hard on the sheaf of papers in his hands, while the posture of the man opposite suggests that he may be feeling the effects of a lengthy meeting. On the floor in front of them, a sheet of paper stamped with red wax seals appears to have been discarded. A tonsured monk sits to their left, perhaps present as a reliable witness or signatory, suggesting that this could be a probate meeting. A man in black, perhaps a trusted manservant, watches the proceedings from further back with folded arms. Munsch, who trained at the Munich Academy under Philipp von Foltz (1805-1877), specialised in historical and genre subjects of this type. He worked for Ludwig II at Schloß Linderhof, Schloß Neuschwanstein (where he helped with a cycle of 22 Niebelungen frescoes) and at the Augustinian monastery at Herrenchiemsee in Bavaria. The presence of the tonsured monk in the painting hints strongly at the possibility that the setting is perhaps a castle in the vicinity of Herrenchiemsee.