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Artist or Maker: FRANZ A. BISCHOFF (1864-1929)

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Provenance: Private collection, Arlington, Virginia.

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Notes: Born in a small town in Northern Austria in 1864, Franz Bischoff showed great artistic promise at an early age. He enrolled in art studies in Vienna in 1882 and studied watercolor painting, design and ceramic decoration. He immigrated to the United States in 1885 and lived and worked in New York, utilizing his artistic skills as a decorator in a china factory.

By 1892, Bischoff had moved to Dearborn, Michigan and opened a studio, where he produced decorated ceramics and taught ceramic design. He quickly gained a reputation as an outstanding ceramic artist and created beautiful ceramic designs of roses and other flower motifs. Also painting floral still lifes in watercolors and oils, he often used flowers grown in his own garden. He won many awards in exhibitions and competitions and ultimately gained a reputation as "King of the Rose Painters". Bischoff's work helped elevate American ceramic design to an art form.

Bischoff traveled to California for the first time in 1900. Impressed by the warm climate and the small but thriving artist community, he moved to Los Angeles in 1906. Bischoff became keenly interested in easel painting and built a home and studio in Pasadena so he could pursue this dream. Although he was an extremely successful ceramic artist, this medium did not hold the artistic stimulation or challenge that existed for him with easel painting. He began by painting the California landscape, and then moved again toward floral still lifes, as he found beauty and pleasure in their rich color and natural design.

A Mixed Bouquet of Roses is an outstanding example of this subject and exemplifies his astute observation and intimate knowledge of the rose blossom. A superb colorist and extraordinarily talented artisan, Bischoff captures the beautiful bouquet with sensitive and thoughtful consideration.