ALBERT ANKER (1831 Ins 1910) Head and shoulders portrait of a boy in a cap. Oil on canvas. Inscribed and signed lower right: Herrn Heer zum freundl. Andenken A Anker. 37.5 × 31.5 cm. Certificate: SIK Zurich, 24.9.2024, SIK-ISEA-Inventory number 240628 0001. Provenance: - Private collection, Switzerland. - Thence by descent. ------------------------------------------------- ALBERT ANKER (1831 Ins 1910) Half-length portrait of a boy with cap. Oil on canvas. Inscribed and signed lower right: Herrn Heer zum freundl. In memory of A Anker. 37.5 × 31.5 cm. Expertise: Swiss Institute for Art Research, Zurich, 24.9.2024, SIK-ISEA inventory number 240628 0001. Provenance: - Swiss private collection - Through succession to present owner. Albert Anker, one of the most important and renowned representatives of Swiss realism, favoured painting the men, women and children from his immediate surroundings in Ins. Anker had a gift for depicting human nature in all its perfection. This work shows a boy with blond hair and brown eyes against a dark background. The left ear, uncovered by the slightly crooked cap, is slightly reddened by the cold. The boy's serious and thoughtful look is striking. What is it that fascinates the boy so much that he averts his gaze from the painter and ignores the viewer? Did the artist have the idea for such a pose from the outset or was the composition created during the artistic process, in a brief moment of lack of concentration on the part of the model, which fascinated the painter and prompted him to capture it in the picture?