SwissArtGallery · Documented identity
Karl Emil Mücke, also known as Carl Mücke and Karl Muecke, was a German painter born and died in Düsseldorf, in 1847 and 1923 respectively. He was the son of the painter Heinrich Mücke. He studied at the Düsseldorf Academy of Fine Arts from 1863 to 1870, then received private tuition for a time from Wilhelm Sohn, a genre painter. He also joined Malkasten, Düsseldorf’s art association.
From 1877 to 1888, Mücke stayed in Volendam, in North Holland, where he found the recurring subjects of his painting: genre scenes devoted to Dutch family life. These often depict women and children in traditional dress, accompanied by cats or dogs, in old Dutch interiors or by the sea. The recorded titles, such as Spielende Kinder am Strand mit Hund und Ziegen, Früh übt sich, Warten auf den Liebsten and Mutterglück vor dem Kamin, evoke several of these familial and domestic subjects. Lost in thought (Zamyślona), an oil on canvas dated around 1892, is held at the National Museum in Wrocław under the number MNWr VIII-2259; its entry notes the inscription “Carl Mücke.Ddf.” at the lower right.
Two recorded works, Plauderei vor dem Bauernhof and Die Heimkehr, dated 1896, are listed as having been made with Ludwig Fay. His works were represented, among other places, in exhibitions in Düsseldorf, Munich and Berlin.
This profile brings together identity references for Karl Mücke and paintings, drawings and works on paper documented in auction catalogues.
1 references are documented at Schuler. Each record links to its source; the amounts are not a general valuation of the artist’s work.
Oil on wood
Das Wiegenlied
Öl auf Holz
Catalogue period : 2021-03-22
Published result : 450 CHF
Fees not specified in the available data
Estimate : CHF 400–600
View the lot at the auction house ↗SwissArtGallery documentary note based on the cited sources. Titles, media and qualifications are provided in the profile language; the original catalogue wording remains available in each record.
Documentation updated : 2026-10-19
