Gottfried STÄHLY-RYCHEN

(Gottfried Stähli)

The Thun vedutist Gottfried Stähly-Rychen was one of the best Thun veduta painters of the 19th century. It is often falsely claimed that Gottfried Stähly-Rychen or his signature “G. Stähly-Rychen” was a pseudonym of the Austrian landscape painter Hubert Sattler (* 1817, † 1904)[1]. In fact, Gottfried Stähly-Rychen was a Swiss national with his home town in Oberhofen on Lake Thun (Canton Bern)[2]. Gottfried Stähly-Rychen and Hubert Sattler are therefore not the same person.

In the “Intelligenzblatt für die Stadt Bern” of 3 February 1891, Gottfried Stähly-Rychen was praised as an “animal painter of the first rank” [3]. Only a few of his animal paintings are known today; in fact, Gottfried Stähly-Rychen is known almost exclusively for his landscape vedute.

Short biography of Gottfried Stähly-Rychen

1840 born in Oberhofen on Lake Thun, Switzerland – works as a veduta painter and animal painter, Thun region, Switzerland – runs a painting school, Hilterfingen on Lake Thun, Switzerland 1882 moves to Bern, Switzerland

1882 move to Bümpliz, Switzerland 1883 move to Bolligen, Switzerland 1892 opening of the “Photographie- u. Kunstmaler Atelier von G. Stähly-Rychen & Sohn” in Langenthal, Switzerland 1920 died in Thun, Switzerland

Gottfried Stähly-Rychen is not Hubert Sattler

Product descriptions of paintings signed with the signature “G. Stähly-Rychen” often claim that this signature is a pseudonym of the Austrian landscape painter Hubert Sattler.[1] However, this claim is false, as the signature G. Stähly-Rychen comes from the Thun vedutist Gottfried Stähly-Rychen, who was born in Oberhofen on Lake Thun (Canton Bern) in Switzerland and died in Thun.

Gottfried Stähly-Rychen is known to many only as a vedutist, i.e. landscape painter, but in his day he was also highly regarded as an animal painter, as the following quote from the “Intelligenzblatt für die Stadt Bern” of 3 February 1891 proves:

“Art note. (Submitted) As has often been the case, Mr Stähly-Rychen is currently exhibiting one of his outstanding achievements in the field of animal painting in Bern (Bärenplatz, “Spar- und Betriebsverein”), which has already earned him a reputation abroad as an animal painter of the first rank. We would like to draw the attention of local art and nature lovers to this excellently executed picture.” [3]

In Thun, Gottfried Stähly-Rychen, also known as Gottfried Stähly (Rychen is his wife’s maiden name), is said to have run a painting school in Hilterfingen on Lake Thun, which was also attended by students who wanted to distance themselves from the arts and crafts. [4] The author Albert Schaufelberger assumes that Gottfried Stähly trained all those veduta painters who did not work in Louis Hänni’s souvenir manufactory. [5] In the book “Die Thuner Vedutenmaler, 1855-1930” by Albert Schaufelberger, a photo is published on page 48 showing Gottfried Stähly (or Gottfried Stähly-Rychen) together with his journeymen and apprentices.[6]

In gleicher Publikation wird die These für plausibel gehalten, wonach die Signatur von “G. Stähly-Rychner” (vermutlich eine Falschschreibung) vom Sohn von Gottfried Stähly stammen soll.[7] Dies überzeugt jedoch nicht. Zum einen wird an derselben Stelle in besagter Publikation festgestellt, dass ein Signaturvergleich der Signatur “G. Stähly” und “G. Stähly-Rychner” darauf hindeuten würde, dass beide Maler identisch seien.[7] Zum anderen hat Gottfried Stähly-Rychen im Jahr 1892 das «Photographie- u. Kunstmaler Atelier von G. Stähly-Rychen & Sohn» gegründet [2], eine Bezeichnung, die wenig Sinn machen würde, wenn G. Stähly-Rychen selbst der Sohn ist.

Das i in Stähli mit einem Ypsilon zu ersetzen, also Stähly statt Stähli zu schreiben, ginge laut Albert Schaufelberger im Übrigen auf eine Mode zurück, da der Name Stähly im Geschlechterbuch der Gegend nicht existieren würde.[6]

Sources

[1] Andreas Faessler: Wer war der Maler Gottfried Stähly-Rychen?, Werkbetrachtungen on www.antiquarium.ch (last accessed: 18.2.2024)
[2] Gottfried Stähly-Rychen at fotoCH
[3] Intelligenzblatt für die Stadt Bern, 3. February 1891, p. 4.
[4] Schaufelberger, Albert: Die Thuner Vedutenmaler, 1855-1930, Thun 1983, p. 47.
[5] Schaufelberger, Albert: Die Thuner Vedutenmaler, 1855-1930, Thun 1983, p. 104.
[6] Schaufelberger, Albert: Die Thuner Vedutenmaler, 1855-1930, Thun 1983, p. 48, 104.
[7] Schaufelberger, Albert: Die Thuner Vedutenmaler, 1855-1930, Thun 1983, p. 105.

Works by G. Stähly-Rychen

Below you will find works by Gottfried Stähly-Rychen:

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