(Dresden 1807–1865 Munich)
Peasant Wedding, inscribed on the reverse of the stretcher pinx. M. Müller 1861, Munich, oil on canvas, 106.5 x 144 cm, framed, (Rei)

Compare:
Friedrich von Boetticher, Malerwerke des 19. Jahrhunderts, Hofheim am Taunus, 1973, Vol. II, 1, p. 105, no. 24 (Returning home from a wedding on a boat by torchlight;)
Fritz Aigner, Maler am Chiemsee, Selbstverlag Prien am Chiemsee, 1983, p. 78 and 79.

Carl Friedrich Moritz Müller’s sobriquet of “Fire Müller” can be understood as programmatic in every sense. He had a fondness for the effect of artificial light in illuminating his peasant genre depictions. Carl Friedrich Moritz Müller used the spotlight thrown by a lamp, a bright candle, blazing torch, or even the reflection of fires as a lighting source for his popular paintings. The present lot, a peasant wedding, is one of his most impressive nocturnal scenes. Here he draws on both the warm glow of the torchlight and an additional light source, the blue light of the moon, which caresses the Chiemsee and the landscape in the background, creating a contrast with the group of figures. This juxtaposition of natural and artificial light creates an atmosphere of particular brilliance.
This splendid example of Carl Friedrich Moritz Müller’s work was repeated by the artist in several variations.