Artwork
Arlechinadă
Arlechinadă is an unspecified painting by Iosif Iser. It dates from 1850 and is held in the collection of the National Museum of Art of Romania.
About this work
Overview
Arlechinadă is an early work attributed to Romanian painter Iosif Iser, dating from around 1850. The object on view is not the painted surface itself but the reverse side of the canvas, still mounted in its original wooden frame. The canvas remains unpainted, its surface covered with faded handwritten annotations, numbers, and stamps that document its inventory history.
Subject & Meaning
The visible markings include the title Arlechinadă, a series of numerical entries, and circles filled with scribbles, suggesting a system of cataloguing. The German phrase “Im Besitz des Künstlers” indicates that at some point the work was recorded as being in the artist’s own possession, providing insight into how Iser or his contemporaries tracked their output.
Technique & Style
Although the front of the canvas is not displayed, the back reveals the construction typical of mid‑19th‑century studio practice: a plain wooden stretcher bound with metal clips, allowing the canvas edges to protrude unevenly. The lack of paint on this side confirms that the artist left the reverse untouched, focusing all technical effort on the visible surface.
History & Provenance
The inventory marks and stamps appear to be archival notes, likely added by the artist or a later institution to record ownership and location. The presence of both Romanian and German language indicates that the work may have passed through different cultural contexts, reflecting the artist’s mobility or the collection practices of the period.
Artist & collection
Artist
Iosif Iser painted everyday life with a focus on people and places. His 1933 work *Paris. Strada Mouffetard* shows a lively street scene in Paris, while *Nud pe fotoliu* depicts a seated nude figure. His brushwork…
