Jonas Zeuner was born in Kassel, Germany, in 1727. Little is known about his early life before his move to Amsterdam in the Netherlands in 1750, and it would be another 20 years before he created his first-known artworks.
Believed to have created 170 paintings between 1770 and his death in 1814, Zeuner has earned himself a lasting legacy for perfecting the verre églomisé technique. Verre églomisé involves applying gold leaf to glass using a gelatine adhesive and etching in a design which is then viewed from the reverse and creates a mirrored effect. It dates back to ancient times (pre-dating the Roman empire) but saw a revival in Italy during the 13th and 16th centuries and in France during the 18th century. The technique has been used frequently in clock face and decorative mirror making as well as commercial window signs. The Blaue Reiter group of European expressionist artists including Paul Klee, Wassily Kandinsky, and Fran Marc all explored verre églomisé during the 1920s, seeing the technique as a remnant of the folk-art tradition which was such an influence for their group.
Lot 291: A Dutch verre églomisé picture, by Jonas Zeuner, Dutch, 1727-1814, c.1790
His preferred subject matters were townscapes of Dutch cities, like Amsterdam and Utrecht, canal views, and country houses. He is believed to have visited or lived in England during the first decade of the 19th century, producing several works of English landscapes. He also created mirror works based on engravings by his contemporaries, Jan de Beyer, Simon Fokke, and Wiebrand Hendriks.
The gleaming effect of his works and their pleasant subject matter brought Zeuner great popularity in polite Dutch society. His favour in fashionable circles gave his small body of work a lasting legacy which led to their inclusion in Amsterdam’s Rijks Museum, New York’s Corning Museum of Glass, and brings him success at auction to this day. His works have reached 6 figures USD at auction, and his record price currently stands at $163,800 for two oil-on-mirror views of Utrecht sold at Christie’s in New York in January 2023.
In the upcoming Fine & Decorative auction on May 24th, Roseberys are pleased to present two verre églomisé works - one signed by Zeuner and the other attributed to him. The first, lot 291, signed by the artist to the lower right, shows a comical scene in which a farmer’s wife stumbles upon two lovers in a barn, chastising the bedraggled maiden while her partner, now hatless, makes a quick exit up a nearby staircase. The piece is held in an ebonised wooden frame and comes to Roseberys with a £1,000 to £1,500. The second piece, lot 292, is attributed to the artist and shows a sprawling country landscape, framed in a later tortoiseshell, bone, and mirrored inlaid frame which adds bold decoration to the item. Lot 292 is the smaller of the two works, which is reflected in its lower £300 to £500 estimate. Both pieces have approachable estimates making them great options for both seasoned collectors of Zeuner’s work and those looking to bring him into their collection for the first time.
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