Joseph Lieck (German, 1849–1904) Sleeping Beauty, c. 1888 Oil on canvas 24 7⁄8 × 19 5⁄8 in.
Joseph Lieck was a Prussian painter active in Berlin during the late nineteenth century. He studied at the Akademie der Künste, Berlin, under the history painter Julius Schrader, and later continued his education through study trips in Italy. Lieck was a member of the Berliner Ortsverein der Allgemeinen Deutschen Kunstgenossenschaft, the principal umbrella organization for German-speaking artists’ associations. He exhibited in Berlin throughout the 1880s, including the 1886 Jubilee Exhibition of the Royal Academy of Arts, where his painting Mosel-Blume was shown.
Lieck was especially noted for his refined depictions of feminine beauty, rendered with soft modeling and careful tonal transitions. In Sleeping Beauty, the artist combines luminous flesh tones with richly handled drapery, the gold star motifs enhancing the theatrical atmosphere of the composition. The work reflects the late nineteenth-century academic tradition in Berlin, balancing romantic sentiment with disciplined technique.
