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Baron Reinhold R. von Thadden
Salon No. 2

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Portrait of George Washington By Baron Reinhold R. von Thadden, New York, 1902 Pyrography on wood panel, 12.5 in. wide by 18.375 in. high. Note: No inscription verso. Adapted from a photograph by owner Peter Brynildsen

Portrait of Abraham Lincoln By Baron Reinhold R. von Thadden, New York, 1902 Pyrography on wood panel, 12.5 in. wide by 18.375 in. high. Inscription recto consists of a logo monogram TR fec. ("fecit.") v. 1902 ("von 1902" German for "in 1902") N.Y. See inscription verso in image following. Adapted from a photograph by owner Peter Brynildsen

Portrait of Abraham Lincoln, detail of inscription verso By Baron Reinhold R. von Thadden, New York, 1902 Pyrography on wood panel, 12.5 in. wide by 18.375 in. high. Inscription verso is as follows: Portrait of Ab. Lincoln After different portraits and a sketch from life. burnt by R. R. v. Thadden. New York 1902. Adapted from a photograph by owner Peter Brynildsen

Portrait of Dog With Butterfly (Bild eines Hundes mit Schmetterling auf Holz gebrannt.) By Baron Reinhold R. von Thadden, New York, 1901 Pyrography on wood panel, 30 in. wide by 37 in. high. There appears to be no signature or inscription recto See inscription verso in image following. Adapted from a photograph by owner Peter Brynildsen

Portrait of Dog With Butterfly, detail of the inscription, verso By Baron Reinhold R. von Thadden, New York, 1901 Pyrography on wood panel, 30 in. wide by 37 in. high. There appears to be no signature or inscription recto The inscription verso, in the image shown here, is the following: P.W.Roos. Hoboken. N.J. (inside the elaborate scroll design) Copyright R.R.v.'Thadden. 1901. N.York. U.S.A. Adapted from a photograph by owner Peter Brynildsen

In addition to three works in burnt wood by Baron Reinhold R. von Thadden cited in 1899 and two more in 1900 in the Catalogue of the Architectural League of New York, and a large exhibit of his works for pianos featured here in his Salon no. 1 in the E-Museum, is this exhibit of three panels from the private collection of American Peter J. Brynildsen, in the State of South Carolina.

Not much is known about the artist's source or sources for the George Washington portrait; however, Peter Brynildsen noted that it looks similar to the one on the dollar bill. The signature is written in the upper left corner (see the caption of the portrait above). The Abraham Lincoln portrait bears more inscriptions, including a sort of von Thadden logo on the recto, the date, and N.Y. On the verso, shown in the subsequent image above, it bears still more detail, mainly specifying that the portrait has more than one source.

The third panel of the Dog and the Butterfly bears an inscription on the verso (as shown in the last image above) that includes an elaborate scroll work surrounding the name P. W. Roos. and the city Hoboken. N. J. Underneath that it bears additional detail, all of which together suggest that this particular work was not bought on sight but rather commissioned by the owner, whose name was inscribed there.

The original owner of all three panels, Phillip William Roos, was Peter Brynildsen's maternal great grandfather. Peter knows the following about his ancestor, "My mother used to say that he supported several starving artists, which was why their old house and his architect's office looked like old curiosity shops!"

Currently, Peter has been discussing these panels with his local art society, the M.A.C.K. (McCormick Arts Center at the Keturah [hotel]) and hopes there will one day be an opportunity for him to show them there.

The butterfly in the last of the three panels is not visible in the current image above; however, it is quite noticeable in the same composition shown in a fragment saved from an old German article, which was passed down to Peter along with the panels. The article appears to be about German Artists in America. Under the picture of the Dog, it bears the caption Bild eines Hundes auf Holz gebrannt. (Picture of a Dog in Wood Burning) and is possibly one and the same panel now owned by Peter. It is unfortunate that the artist's name could not be found in the text fragments that have remained.

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If you have either any questions to ask or any information to offer regarding Baron Reinhold R. von Thadden or his works, please e-mail the owner Peter Brynildsen and the E-Museum Curator.

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