Thanks to my good friend RIP, who kindly reminded us of something that we needed here on AR.

Thank you Saeed,
another hobby!

http://www.drake.net/
From Dr. Lewis Drake's site: The Artist slew this maneater with his double rifle,
and kept the skull of the beast and the mail pouch of the unfortunate native bicycle-postman as his trophy,
and recreated the scene he came upon before shooting ... good shot I reckoon, he had no backup.
*******************************************************************************

"Der Menschenfresser"

“The Man Eater”, ca. 1916, oil on fabric, 45 1/8”x 85 1/8”, by Friedrich Wilhelm Kuhnert (German, 1865 - 1926); signed lower left: “Willh Kuhnert” - Price On Request




Kuhnert Biography



Friedrich Wilhelm Kuhnert was born in Oppeln on September 18, 1865. He was a German painter, author and illustrator specializing in animal pictures. At the age of 17 Kuhnert began a technical and commercial apprenticeship, which he failed to complete. From 1883 to 1887 Friedrich Wilhelm Kuhnert had a scholarship to study at the 'Königliche Akademische Hochschule für Bildende Künste'. Kuhnert's main residence was in Berlin, from where he traveled north and to Egypt, East Africa and India, producing extensive landscape and animal studies. His favorite motifs were African lions. He studied and drew tropical animals in their natural habitat, not only in zoological gardens. In 1894 Friedrich Wilhelm Kuhnert married the 18-year-old Emilie Caroline Wilhelmine Ottilie Alvine Herdikerhoff, with whom he had one daughter. During a study trip to Ceylon Kuhnert left his wife and was divorced in 1909. That year Friedrich Wilhelm Kuhnert also illustrated the book 'Tierleben der Erde', which he had co-written with the zoologist Johann Wilhelm Haacke. In 1913 he entered into his second marriage with Gerda von Jankowski. His wife died on his 60th birthday. Friedrich Wilhelm Kuhnert himself died on February 11, 1926, during a rehabilitative stay in Switzerland (Flims, Grisons). Today, Friedrich Wilhelm Kuhnert is still known as one of the most important German animal painters of his time. His work includes drawings, etchings, watercolors and oil paintings. Not only a painter and illustrator but also a hunter, Kuhnert often accepted great adversity to track down and capture his motifs in their natural habitat.





“Der Menschenfresser”

(The Maneater)



ca. 1916, by Friedrich Wilhelm Kuhnert (1865 - 1926)

Oil on fabric 45 1/8”x 85 1/8”



This account of the origin of “Der Menschenfresser” has been passed down through the Kuhnert family for three generations and, as far as I have been able to determine, there is no other written documentation of this account of the circumstances surrounding the origin of this painting.



Around 1916, while Willi Kuhnert was in Africa, a local mail man was attacked and killed by a lion while delivering the mail on his bicycle. Villagers who either witnessed the attack or happened upon the scene very shortly thereafter had no firearm and immediately sent a runner to fetch Kuhnert who was the only man they knew close by who had a rifle. When Kuhnert arrived on the scene he shot and killed the lion on the spot, made sketches of the scene, and later painted what he saw that day.



“Der Menschenfresser” was Wilhelm Kuhnert’s favorite painting and, along with his double rifle, the lion’s skull, and the victim’s mail pouch, remained with him until his death in 1926. It then passed down to his son, later to his grandson. During WWII, while living in Berlin, Kuhnert’s son buried many of Kuhnert’s possessions, including his double rifle and the mail pouch, to prevent confiscation by the Nazi’s. When his son dug everything up after the war the mail pouch was badly deteriorated and subsequently discarded. The rifle and skull still reside with family members.



In 1999, a gentleman acquired the painting via private sale arranged by Kuhnert’s grandson (now deceased). Approximately thirty years or so prior to that the owner, residing in Italy, had found the content of the painting objectionable and had another artist paint over the man’s remains including most of the blood thus disguising that area as a bush.



In 2002, the painting once again changed hands privately and, in 2008, that owner decided to have the painting restored to its original condition. As you will see from the conservator’s report, the paint that had been used to mask the blood and human remains was an alcohol-soluble acrylic which was easily removed with no damage to the original paint beneath. Neither had there been any scraping nor other damage to the original paint layer during that initial cover-up.



Apparently, that owner, after seeing the painting restored to its original context, found it so graphic that he very carefully altered segments of the original stretcher and folded (large radius fold so as not to damage either the paint or the canvas) the right side of the canvas back upon itself hiding the victim’s head and most of the gore behind the painting. He then reframed the painting with a Plexiglas shield covering the hidden portion to provide protection for that portion of the painting.



The current owner purchased the painting, once again via private sale, in 2009, at which time it was sent to “Cumberland Art Conservation Center” in Nashville, TN, for an evaluation of the current condition of the painting along with a new stretcher and reframing back to the original size. Complete reports from the conservators including photographic documentation accompany the painting.



One final note. The size and quality of “Der Menschenfresser” in relation to Kuhnert’s other works, not to mention the subject matter and circumstances surrounding its origin, are a testimony to the importance it held in the mind of the artist. The context and vivid details are at once savage and horrifying, however, the whole is a brutally honest rendering of an historical event that would have had great emotional significance to the artist and, in that regard, this painting is unique among all of Wilhelm Kuhnert’s works.


Lewis Drake
CEO, Lewis Drake and Associates
Murray, KY

http://www.sitemason.com/page/drWnaU

DRG says: "Kiss my liberal grits!"

Damn but that was quick and thanks to Saeed and Rip for such a great idea!

A very good if somewhat gruesome painting ,well executed by the artist, as no doubt the mailman was by the lion.
Frederick Wilhelm Kuhnert was an excellent artist of African animals and should be better known than he is.

here is a picture of the painting after it had been painted over as described previously

Thanks, David,
not the kind of painting that is likely to be offered as a print, in all its brutal g(l)ory, eh?
Previous owners have censored portions of it when they displayed it.

DRG says: "Kiss my liberal grits!"

quote:

Originally posted by RIP:
Thanks, David,
not the kind of painting that is likely to be offered as a print, in all its brutal g(l)ory, eh?
Previous owners have censored portions of it when they displayed it.

DRG says: "Kiss my liberal grits!"

I really like this artist work Rip , he manages to capture the real feeling of Africa

facinating history.
SS/Timan

Would this include sculpture as well?

Like this piece from an obviously disabled artist in the UAE?

Saeed,

This is a great addition to the Forum. I know this will see an evergrowing number of artist's and visitors.

Thank you!

quote:

Originally posted by Jim Manion:
Would this include sculpture as well?

Like this piece from an obviously disabled artist in the UAE?

Jim,

Jealousy will get you nowhere!

It takes real talent to make a stock like this one!

Far too many times the tree hugger/bunny lover and couch potato refuse to look at the real Mother Nature. Yet they buy their children the most violent video games man can invent. What a weird world we live in. I'm all about the real world and think Kuhnert painted with his minds eye; a true artist in every way.
Thanks Saeed for giving us another great forum and to RIP for making it so.
Cheers,
David

Great idea Saeed!

Thanks, RIP!

Bob

I like the painting a lot, even though it is somewhat unusual. What always makes a big difference to me is when items have a good story, and this painting certainly does.

I can't see displaying it in my dining room, but it would make an interesting addition to a trophy room.

However, pondering the issue is merely entertainment. I could be wrong, but I'm guessing my house and a painting by Friedrich Kuhnert would probably be an even trade...then were would I hang it???

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:

quote:

Originally posted by Jim Manion:
Would this include sculpture as well?

Like this piece from an obviously disabled artist in the UAE?

Jim,

Jealousy will get you nowhere!

It takes real talent to make a stock like this one!

Saeed,

I didn't know that you had beavers in the UAE!

465H&H

Love this new Forum. Keep up the art!

quote:

Originally posted by 465H&H:

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:

quote:

Originally posted by Jim Manion:
Would this include sculpture as well?

Like this piece from an obviously disabled artist in the UAE?

Jim,

Jealousy will get you nowhere!

It takes real talent to make a stock like this one!

Saeed,

I didn't know that you had beavers in the UAE!

465H&H

This is obviosly someone who wanted grip without having to spring for checkering.

Von Gruff.

BTT lest we forget the greatnest of Wilhelm Kuhnert.

Censored for the timid:


Don't look, Ethel!

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Rip ...

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Fantastic ! First "we" shit all over Andrew and his art and then we promote Kuhnert as the artist of our lifetimes!?

RIP don't quite follow your game but as my Dad (RIP) once said to me "if you have not got something good to say, then don't say anything!" Could probably go for my posting too but then again I didn't crap all over another mans art or his taste.

Happy Easter!

Charlie

Ps The Man Eater is a superb piece of art, but the buff that was put up looks to my eye like something out of the ring in Malaga! To each his own.


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.

quote:

Originally posted by Charlie64:
.

Fantastic ! First "we" shit all over Andrew and his art and then we promote Kuhnert as the artist of our lifetimes!?

RIP don't quite follow your game but as my Dad (RIP) once said to me "if you have not got something good to say, then don't say anything!" Could probably go for my posting too but then again I didn't crap all over another mans art or his taste.

Happy Easter!

Charlie

Ps The Man Eater is a superb piece of art, but the buff that was put up looks to my eye like something out of the ring in Malaga! To each his own.


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.

Charlie64,

My Grandma used to tell me the same old axiom.
Excellent advice for a tea party.

For you:

Better to Remain Silent and Be Thought a Fool than to Speak and Remove All Doubt
Abraham Lincoln? Mark Twain? Biblical Proverb? Maurice Switzer? Arthur Burns? John Maynard Keynes? Confucius? Anonymous?

Dear Quote Investigator: Here are two versions of an entertaining saying that is usually credited to Abraham Lincoln or Mark Twain:

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt.

It’s better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than open it and remove all doubt.

The phrasing is different, but I think these two statements express the same thought. When I mentioned this adage to a friend he claimed that it was in the Bible, but it does not sound very Biblical to me. Can you resolve this dispute?

Quote Investigator: There is a biblical proverb that expresses a similar idea, namely Proverbs 17:28. Here is the New International Version followed by the King James Version of this verse: 1

Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue.

Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.

The quotations that the questioner listed use a distinctive formulation that is certainly more humorous. In the biblical version one is thought wise if one remains silent, but in the questioner’s statements the word “wise” is not used. Remaining silent simply allows one to avoid the fate of being thought a fool or stupid. This maxim has many different forms, and it is often ascribed to Abraham Lincoln or Mark Twain. However, there is no substantive evidence that either of these famous individuals employed the maxim.

The wonderful Yale Book of Quotations (YBQ) 2 investigated the saying and presented the earliest known attribution to Lincoln in Golden Book magazine in November 1931: 3

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt.
— ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

Since Lincoln died in 1865 this is a suspiciously late instance, and it provides very weak evidence. Further, YBQ indicated that the phrase was in use years before this date with no attachment to Lincoln. The ascription of the saying to Mark Twain is also dubious.

When Ken Burns filmed a documentary about Mark Twain in 2001 a companion book was released, and it listed the following version of the quote in a section titled “What Twain Didn’t Say”: 4

Better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt.

The earliest known appearance of the adage discovered by QI occurred in a book titled “Mrs. Goose, Her Book” by Maurice Switzer. The publication date was 1907 and the copyright notice was 1906. The book was primarily filled with clever nonsense verse, and the phrasing in this early version was slightly different: 5

It is better to remain silent at the risk of being thought a fool, than to talk and remove all doubt of it.

Most of the humorous content of “Mrs. Goose, Her Book” has the imprint of originality, and based on currently available data QI believes that Maurice Switzer is the leading candidate for originator of the expression. This 1906 citation was also given in “The Dictionary of Modern Proverbs”, an indispensable new reference work from Yale University Press. 6

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

There are many proverbs extolling silence. Several examples from an 1887 collection called “Proverbs, Maxims, and Phrases of All Ages” are reminiscent of the biblical proverb: 7

Silence is the virtue of those who are not wise
Silence is wisdom and gets a man friends
Silence is wisdom when speaking is folly

In 1893 a New York newspaper printed a column titled “Jewels of Thought” that included an alternative maxim presenting a different rationale for silence: 8

It is better to remain silent than to speak the truth ill-humoredly, and spoil an excellent dish by covering it with bad sauce.—St. Francis de Sales.

In 1907 a version of the maxim appeared in “Mrs. Goose, Her Book” by Maurice Switzer as noted previously in this article:

It is better to remain silent at the risk of being thought a fool, than to talk and remove all doubt of it.

The choice of Switzer’s book title is illuminated by the fact that another book, “Father Goose, His Book”, was a popular sensation in 1899. The author of that book, L. Frank Baum, went on to write an even bigger hit “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” (Thanks to John Baker for pointing this out.)

In 1922 the saying was printed as a banner on the front page of the Society section of a Minnesota newspaper. The words were credited to a person or entity named Empeco. The phrase “keep quiet” was used instead of “remain silent”: 9

It Is Better to Keep Quiet and Be Thought a Fool Than to Speak and Remove All Doubt.—Empeco

In 1923 the adage was published in the newspaper of Evansville College (now University) in Indiana. The word “thought” was spelled “thot”: 10

‘Tis better to keep quiet and be thot a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.

In 1924 an instance of the saying was credited to a person named Arthur Burns: 11

“It is better to keep silent and be thought a fool.” says Dr. Arthur Burns, “than to speak and remove all doubts.”

In March 1931 a humorist with the moniker ‘Doc’ Rockwell presented a version of the maxim with the phrase “keep your mouth shut” instead of “remain silent”, “keep silent”, or “keep quiet”: 12

Some great man once made a famous remark about something or other that I will never forget. I can’t recall it at this moment, but it was to the effect that it is better to keep your mouth shut and let people think you’re a fool than to keep it open and leave no doubt about the matter.

In May 1931 a columnist printed a version with “dumb” instead of “fool”. No attribution was given: 13

Listen to this: “It is better to be silent and be thought dumb, than to speak and remove all doubt!”

In October 1931 the student newspaper of Northwestern University published a letter to the editor defending gangster Al Capone which contained another instance of the adage with “keep your mouth shut”: 14

But when you try to dictate what to do to others, remember this—It is better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt!

In November 1931 the saying was assigned to Abraham Lincoln in Golden Book Magazine as noted previously. This is the earliest known ascription to the famous President:

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt.
— ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

In 1936 the maxim was printed in a Nebraska newspaper where it was rephrased as a question and an Asiatic was suggested: 15

YOU ANSWER IT.
(Old Chinese Proverb.)
Is it better to keep your mouth shut and seem a fool, or to open your mouth and remove all doubt?

In 1938 the words of the aphorism were ascribed to Confucius, but the intent was jocular: 16

The following wise-crack was written by Confucius—unless I’m confusing him with somebody else:
“It is better to keep one’s mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.”

In 1953 a columnist in a Saskatoon, Canada newspaper assigned the expression to Mark Twain. Currently, this is the earliest connection to Twain known to QI: 17

Maybe Mark Twain had something when he said, “It is better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and prove it,” and often, in these cases, it’s the informant who feels the fool.

In 1958 the New York Times published a profile of the famous economist John Maynard Keynes, and the article noted that a version of the dictum had been attributed to Keynes: 18

“It is better to keep quiet and seem ignorant,” he reportedly advised an American dignitary, “than to speak up and remove all doubt.”

The aphorism appeared in the 1961 collection “Mark Twain: Wit and Wisecracks” edited by Doris Benardete. No citation to Twain’s oeuvre was provided: 19

It’s better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt.

The ascription to Abraham Lincoln has been common for decades. In 1962 a South Carolina newspaper printed this: 20

Abe Lincoln said:
Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt

Sometimes Mark Twain has been assigned the version of the maxim using the phrase “remain silent”. For example, in 1980 a newspaper in Ottawa, Canada printed the following: 21

Mark Twain put it well .. “it is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to talk and remove all doubt.”

In conclusion, there is no substantive evidence that this popular adage was coined or employed by Abraham Lincoln or Mark Twain. The earliest ascriptions to these famous figures appeared many years post death. QI thinks that Maurice Switzer is currently the top choice for coiner of the expression though future data may reveal alternative claimants.

Update history: On February 5, 2013 the article was rewritten to include more information about ascriptions to Mark Twain.

Notes:

Proverbs 17:28 has many translations. Here is a link to a webpage with several from the Online Parallel Bible Project of Biblos.com. (Accessed Bible.cc on October 24, 2012) link ↩
2006, The Yale Book of Quotations by Fred R. Shapiro, Section: Abraham Lincoln, Page 466, Yale University Press, New Haven. (Verified on paper) ↩
1931 November, Golden Book Magazine, Volume 14, Quote Page 306, Published by The Review of Reviews Corporation, Albert Shaw, New York. (Verified on paper) ↩
2001, Mark Twain by Dayton Duncan and Geoffrey C. Ward, Based on a Documentary by Ken Burns, Section: What Twain Didn’t Say, Page 189, Alfred A. Knopf, New York. (Verified on paper) ↩
1907, “Mrs. Goose, Her Book” by Maurice Switzer, Page 29, Moffat, Yard & Company, New York. (Google Books full view) link ↩
2012, The Dictionary of Modern Proverbs, Compiled by Charles Clay Doyle, Wolfgang Mieder, and Fred R. Shapiro, Page 83, Yale University Press, New Haven. (Verified on paper) ↩
1887, Proverbs, Maxims, and Phrases of All Ages, Compiled by Robert Christy, Page 268, The Knickerbocker Press, G. P. Putnam’s Sons, New York. (Google Books full view) link ↩
1893 August 8, Stamford Mirror, Jewels of Thought, Page 1, Column 3, Stamford, New York. (Old Fulton) ↩
1922 December 17, Duluth Sunday News-Tribune (Duluth News-Tribune), (Headline across top of page beneath newspaper name and date), Section: Society, Page 1, Duluth, Minnesota. (GenealogyBank) ↩
1923 June 19, The Crescent (Evansville Crescent), (One quotation in a set of three freestanding quotes), Quote Page 3, Column 1, Evansville, Indiana. (NewspaperArchive) ↩
1924 June 10, Seattle Daily Times, Section: Sports, Bob’s Sportitorials, Quote Page 1, Column 1, Seattle, Washington. (GenealogyBank) ↩
1931 March 22, Omaha World Herald, Rockwell Tells How to Behave Like a Human Being by ‘Doc’ Rockwell, Quote Page 8, Column 5, Omaha, Nebraska. (GenealogyBank) ↩
1931 May 25, Albany Evening News, As I Think It by Tony Wons, Quote Page 9, Column 2, Albany New York. (Old Fulton) ↩
1931 October 16, Daily Northwestern, Our Public, (Letter to the Editor from “Not so swell”), Quote Page 2, Column 2, Evanston, Illinois. (GenealogyBank) ↩
1936 July 13, Omaha World Herald, You Answer It, (Freestanding short item), Quote Page 4, Column 2, Omaha, Nebraska. (GenealogyBank) ↩
1938 June 1, The Evening Independent, Free Speeches by Lee Morris, Page 4, Column 3, St. Petersburg, Florida. (Google News Archive) ↩
1953 May 29, Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, It’s Always Same Answer by Jane Gale, Page 13, Column 3, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. (Google News Archive) ↩
1958 April 20, New York Times, Keynes Re-Examined: The Man, the Theory by Henry C. Wallich, Start Page SM13, Quote Page SM13, Column 2, New York. (ProQuest) ↩
1961, Mark Twain: Wit and Wisecracks, Edited by Doris Benardete, Quote Page 18, Peter Pauper Press, White Plains, New York. (Verified with scans) ↩
1962 March 21, Aiken Standard and Review, Phraseologies, Quote Page 2, Column 6, Aiken, South Carolina. (NewspaperArchive) ↩
1980 December 26, The Citizen [Ottawa Citizen], Action Line by Roger Appleton, Subsection: Calm, Reasonable Approach Best, Quote Page 49, Column 1, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Google News Archive) ↩

HAPPY EASTER !

RON IN PERSON

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