CARL HAAG RWS (1820-1915) Biography

Description / Expertise

In The Ruins of Ancient Tiberias Carl Haag records the remains of the ancient civilisation of Tiberias. Tiberias is today’s Teverya in Israel.
Carl Haag was born in Erlangen, Bavaria and studied in Nuremberg and Munich where he acquired a reputation for his miniatures. He continued this trade in Brussels and from there travelled to France, Egypt and Syria, finally arriving in England in 1847; his purpose to examine the English use of watercolour, a specialty little practiced as yet on the Continent. He selected mineral colours for their quality of permanency, and evolved his own technique of applying pure colours in layers of wash, stippling with the point of his brush and then scratching out the colour to obtain highlights. It was during a convalescence, after his hand had been damaged in a gun accident, that he formulated another original method, that of removing superfluous pigment, which had deliberately been laid on in extra strength, to arrive at the required tones. Such was his talent that he was soon able to join the Old Watercolour Society despite being a foreigner. It was, however his nationality as well as his ability that drew him to the attention of Prince Albert. He was commanded to attend Queen Victoria at Balmoral where he painted two pictures for her.

In 1858, Haag made a trip to Cairo, Greece and Turkey, returning to Egypt that November. Here he shared a house with Frederick Goodall, with whom he undertook many sketching expeditions in the desert. They entertained visiting artists and travellers, and gained quite a reputation for their hospitality. In 1859 he travelled to Jerusalem and the Holy Land in time for the Easter festivals. He stayed in Jerusalem until June, before proceeding on to Samaria, Galilee, Damascus and Palmyra. He was able to study the life and character of the desert tribes and made a number of watercolours.

He returned to England in 1860 and divided his time between his London house and his studio in Oberweisel, on the Rhine. He was by now much renowned for his Orientalist works, which commanded exceptionally high prices, and in 1873 he returned to Egypt to collect fresh material. Over eighty of his works were exhibited in 1876 at the German Athenaeum in London, while his painting Danger in the Desert was shown at the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1878.