“ The Welcome to the Steppe” by Jozef Brandt and the “Hungarian Horse Parade” by Johann Gualbert Raffalt. Contribution to the history of plagiarism in the 19th century painting

Abstract

In 1864 the little-known Austrian painter Johann Gualbert Raffalt (1836–1865) created a painting entitled Hungarian Horse Parade. Ten years later, the wellknown Polish painter Jozef Brandt (1841–1915) made an almost identical painting only in a much enlarged format. He titled the painting Ukrainian Cossacks from the 17th century going to war, and greeting the steppe with battle songs. In the professional literature the title of Welcome to the Steppe was accepted.The work of the Polish artist received enthusiastic reviews in the international press, was purchased by the Museum in Königsberg in 1875, won a medal at an exhibition in Berlin in 1876 and took part in Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1878. Raffalt’s painting exhibited in the Austrian Kunstverein was commented by the press only as “sehr virksam [very effective]”, and when it was auctioned by Neumeister in Munich in 1997, it did not find a buyer. The striking similarity makes it seem that Brandt “borrowed” quite substantially from the Austrian painter. That is why it should be assumed that the Austrian artist, who died young, also took part in the great success of the Welcome to the Steppe.How did Brandt meet Raffalt’s painting is an open question, and the notion of plagiarism in 19th century painting is a matter for discussion.