Matthäus Loder - Portrait of a Man

Matthäus (Matthias) Loder (active 1759-1828) 

Portrait of a Man

oil on canvas
unframed 50.5 x 40 cm (19 7/8 x 15 3/4 in)
frame 69 x 59 cm (27 1/8 x 23 1/4 in
A hand-made frame from Stockholms Bildhuggeri och Förgyllningen is included. 

Expertise: 
Stéphane Pinta, Cabinet Turquin, Paris

Provenance: 
Art Dealer Gösta Stenmans collection, no 849.

Essay:
This compelling portrait, recently studied by Stéphane Pinta of the esteemed Cabinet Turquin in Paris, has been confidently attributed to the Austrian painter Matthäus (Matthias) Loder. Pinta's careful examination has confirmed the work’s authorship, highlighting its expressive execution and unique stylistic character.

Painted with vigorous, spontaneous brushstrokes, the portrait stands out within Loder’s known oeuvre. The sitter—possibly a character study or self-portrait—is bathed in dramatic light and shadow, his eyes fixed on something just beyond the viewer with a gaze that is both intense and introspective. A blue feathered hat crowns his head, lending a theatrical flair, while the ruffled collar and bold highlights lend life and immediacy to the figure. The treatment of the face, partly obscured in shadow, is daring and modern in its painterly looseness, revealing an artist deeply engaged with psychological depth and formal experimentation.

Matthäus Loder, trained at the Vienna Academy under masters such as Hubert Maurer and Johann Baptist Lampi, was a gifted painter and illustrator whose life and work were deeply tied to the Alpine landscapes of Central Europe. Early on, he pursued nature studies alongside his fellow student Karl Ruß, embarking on sketching journeys through the Salzkammergut and Styria. His talent was recognized by Archduchess Marie Louise of Austria, who appointed him drawing master in Parma. Later, due to declining health, he returned to the Austrian Alps, where he became court painter to Archduke Johann. Loder accompanied the Archduke on numerous alpine expeditions, recording not only landscapes and traditional costumes, but also everyday life in the Styrian iron industry. His sensitive documentation of the Archduke’s romantic relationship with Anna Plochl adds a rare historical intimacy to his body of work.

This particular painting once belonged to Gösta Stenman (1888–1947), the legendary Finnish-Swedish art dealer and connoisseur. Stenman was a pioneer of modern art in Finland, promoting artists such as Tyko Sallinen, Helene Schjerfbeck—whom he famously “discovered”—and Jalmari Ruokokoski. His salons in Helsinki and later Stockholm were hubs for both contemporary and Old Master works. A discerning collector, Stenman’s eye for quality helped shape some of the most important Nordic collections of the 20th century. His holdings were so significant that during a financial crisis in the late 1920s, a portion of his collection—over 140 works—was transferred to the Ostrobothnian Museum in Vaasa as collateral.

Now resurfacing from this remarkable provenance, Loder’s portrait stands not only as a rare artistic statement from an underappreciated Austrian master, but also as a testament to the discerning eye of one of Scandinavia’s most important art dealers.