Painting of the Day: “The Grandmother’s Birthday” by Ferdinand Waldmüller, 1856

The Grandmother's Birthday
1856
Purchased by Prince Albert
The Royal Collection

Long-time aficionados of Renaissance art, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were quite impressed by the contemporary work of Austrian painter Ferdinand Waldmüller who incorporated Rennaisance sensibilities into his compositions while depicting sympathetic domestic scenes. Victoria, herself a doting mother, was fond of scenes of maternal warmth. It was only fitting that Prince Albert should purchase this painting as a gift for his wife.


The Grandmother’s Birthday, completed in 1856, is a prime example of Ferdinand Waldmüller’s sentimental subject matter as well as his skilled compositions. In the style of the Renaissance, he has arranged the subjects in a pyramid reminiscent of Sixteenth Century portrayals of the Holy Family. The individual expressions of each of the figures direct the viewer through the composition, inviting them into this scene which celebrates the joys of domestic life.