(Prague 1823–1882 Munich)
A Festive Wedding Procession, signed Munich Eduard Young, oil on canvas, 73.5 x 92.5 cm, framed

Compare:
Constant von Wurzbach, Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Österreich,
Vol. 59, Wien 1890, p. 56 „Der Hochzeitszug“;
Friedrich von Boetticher, Malerwerke des 19. Jahrhunderts, vol. II, 2, Hofheim am Taunus 1979, p. 1045, no. 3 “Hochzeitszug im Gebirge” [Wedding Procession in the Mountains].
Eduard Young, Hochzeitszug im Gebirge, 1872, Öl auf Leinwand, 137 x 170 cm, Oberösterreichisches Landesmuseum, Inv.Nr. G 1624.

The portrait, landscape, and genre painter Eduard Young was the son of an English actor who settled first in Germany and then in Austria. Having discovered a talent for painting, Young took lessons in portraiture and watercolour from Moritz Michael Daffinger in Vienna, and later turned to landscape and genre painting. In the company of Prince Esterházy, Young travelled to Italy and France in 1851, and later to Sweden, Norway and Denmark. From 1856-1863 he worked at the court of Frederick VII of Denmark in Copenhagen. There Eduard Young received the Great Golden Medal for Art and Science and the title of professor. He spent two years in Vienna, Salzkammergut, and Berchtesgaden before finally choosing Munich as his permanent residence. Here, he turned to genre painting and subsequently mainly to depictions of Bavarian Alpine life.
This is reflected in the present lot, which shows a smaller version of the 1872 painting Wedding Procession in the Mountains (today in Upper Austria Regional Museum, inv. no. G 1624), for which Young was awarded a medal at the Vienna World’s Fair in 1873. The bride and groom walk down the slope in a cheerful mood in the midst of the wedding procession. The scene is most likely set in the surroundings of Unken, Salzburg, and the artist gives us a view of the valley alongside the solemn wedding procession. The merry congregation moves towards the church tower which can be seen on the left. Eduard Young skilfully sets the scene, showing jubilation and joy, as seen in the young boy at the end of the procession calling down into the valley. Warm lighting enhances the mood and impression of the occasion.