Studio RT Ltd

Description

We are offering for sale this lovely watercolour by the artist H. Max Krause, who has signed the painting with his pseudonym M. Crouse, in the lower left hand corner and entitled it Crummock Water in the lower right. The painting depicts one of the islands on Crummock Water, in the Lake District. This is one of a pair of paintings by this artist that we are listing.

H. Max Krause was born in Biesdorf in Germany in 1861, to Franz (Francis) Emile Hermann Krause 1836-1900 and Johann Henrietta Amelia Stock daughter of a German painter J. F. A. Stock. The family moved to the UK and settled in Lancashire and the 1881 Census found the 20 year old Max living at 28 Bignor Street, Cheetham, Prestwich, Lancashire with his parents and 5 siblings. He and his brother the artist Emil Albert Krause, later Emil Albert Stock, after he changed his name by deed poll in 1916 due to anti German feeling, were both taught by their father. ( Emil Albert is frequently called Emil Axel due to confusion between him and a Danish artist)

In 1885, Max married Mary Jane Mansell (1861-1930) and he is listed officially as Frederick (Friedrich) Heinrich M. Krause in the marriage register. To our knowledge, he painted under the names Max Krause, H. Max Krause, H. M. Krause, H. M. Crouse and M. Crouse (as in these paintings) and, it is our contention that he also painted under the pseudonym Max Sinclair, although as yet we have been unable to prove it. (There is absolutely no official record of an artist by the name of Max Sinclair in the late 1800s and the similarity of his paintings and those of both Franz Krause and Max Krause are unmistakable. We came across a mention in a Victorian newspaper cutting that Max Sinclair was the only pupil of the Master Franz Krause, so it seems fairly obvious to us that he and Max Krause are one and the same.)

In the 1911 Census, he was living at Ashleigh, Dane Road, Sale, Cheshire and was listed as a German, naturalised British Subject in 1886. Although even that is in doubt, as in 1916 he was accused of being near a prohibited area in Southport as he was not a British citizen as other family member were. Later he and Mary Jane moved to Southport, where two of his brothers were set up as carvers, gilders and frame makers, and Mary Jane died at 197 Portland Street, Southport, leaving her assets of £366 to her husband Henry Max Crouse, artist. Max himself died a year later.

The painting is mounted and has been newly framed in a 1 1/8" bronze gilt frame to suit. It will be supplied wired and ready to hang.

Image size: 13 3/8" x 8 3/4" - 34cm x 22.25cm

Frame size: 19 1/2" x 15" - 49.5cm x 38.2cm

Medium: Watercolours on card

Condition: Very good. There is no foxing or fading. The mount is in very good condition and the frame is new.