Ernst Friedrich Carl Lang (German, 1748-1782)
A Bohemian Waxwing
Gouache on vellum
Signed bottom center: E.F.C./Lang in Nürnberg
ca. 1775
Vellum size: 11 ¼ x 8 ¼ in
Frame size: 12 1/4 x 16 in

These beautiful studies are a rare example of the work of Ernst Friedrich Carl Lang. Lang was the son of Kilian Lang, miniature painter, and harpist. He moved to Nuremberg in 1755 and was a pupil of the famed natural history painter Barbara Regina Dietzsch, who specialized in the depiction of flowers, birds, and insects. Dietzch’s influence can be seen in Lang’s delicacy of brushstrokes and the composition’s sophistication. The lack of background detail gives the work a simplicity that fully appreciates the bird’s plumage coloring. Moreover, the color of these enchanting birds’ feathers is echoed in the shade of the background.

Examples of Lang’s work include a Goldfinch in the Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nürnberg, and a Rose in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.