Franz Roubaud artwork – Dorotheum 2026

Lot description

(Odessa 1856–1928 Munich) A tiger hunt, signed F. Roubaud, oil on canvas, 86x 151 cm, framed Provenance: Sale, Sotheby’s, London, 28 November 1984, lot 240; Private Collection, France. Catalogued and illustrated in: Eckart Lingenauber, Olga Sugrobova-Roth, Franz Roubaud 1856–1928, Catalogue raisonné, Cologne, 2012, pp. 216–217, no. 505, pl. 72. We are grateful to Dr Olga Sugrobova-Roth for her scholarly advice. Franz Roubaud, who was born in Odessa, enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich in 1878, where he studied under Carl von Piloty. At the Academy, he also had the opportunity to attend the classes of the Polish battle painter Józef Brandt (see Lot 547). Roubaud soon established himself as a battle and realist painter, specialising in the military history of Russia and the Caucasus. In 1886, Alexander III of Russia commissioned him to produce a series of historical paintings for the Hall of Fame in Tiflis. Roubaud gained international renown through his monumental panoramic paintings, which established him as the founder of the Russian school of panoramic painting and depict some of the most significant events in national history. In 1891, he was appointed professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, followed in 1903 by his appointment as professor of battle painting at the Imperial Academy of Arts in St Petersburg. In addition to his monumental historical compositions, Roubaud also created numerous works depicting the everyday life of the peoples of the Caucasus, for example whilst hunting, in battle or travelling. His oeuvre is closely linked to the landscapes and cultures of the Caucasus and Central Asia and includes, amongst other things, scenes of resting caravans, traditional sports and bustling bazaars. This painting depicts a successful tiger hunt in which an elephant is part of the hunting party. Such hunts were frequently organised with the participation of local villagers, nobles and military personnel, and were particularly popular among members of the Western aristocracy who visited the region. Although Roubaud frequently depicted hunting scenes and horsemen, elephants are a rarity in his oeuvre. This composition is therefore a particularly unusual and remarkable example of the artist’s engagement with exotic hunting motifs.