SwissArtGallery · Documented identity

Josef Herrmanstörfer

Animal subjects occupy a central place in the work of Josef Herrmanstörfer (1817–1901): from his youth, he painted horses and cows, as well as hunting scenes, landscapes animated by animal figures and a few portraits. A biographical entry describes his horses as carefully observed and rendered naturalistically. His training began at the art school in Nuremberg, where he studied portrait painting with Albert Christoph Reindel; from 1842, he continued his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. He remained based in Munich and travelled repeatedly to the Bavarian Alps to work from nature, particularly in the surroundings of Lake Chiemsee and in the Berchtesgadener Land. The entry also notes the use of a palette of muted tones.

Works recorded in collections in Munich and Nuremberg testify to the diversity of his subjects and practices: the Stadtmuseum in Munich holds an 1848 watercolour entitled “Graf Egloffstein im Jagdkostüm”, while the MStN in Nuremberg lists a general view of the city from the south, a pencil drawing dated circa 1850. Herrmanstörfer took part in the Glaspalast exhibition in Munich in 1876, an exhibition in Lübeck in 1878, and exhibitions in Bremen in 1880 and 1890. According to the biographical entry by Galerie Jacobsa, his participation in an exhibition in London in 1874 earned him a medal.

This profile brings together identity references for Josef Herrmanstörfer and paintings, drawings and works on paper documented in auction catalogues.

1 references are documented at Dobiaschofsky. Each record links to its source; the amounts are not a general valuation of the artist’s work.

Sources and references

• Reference record
• RKDartists · ODC-BY-1.0
• Documentary source

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