Portrait of a Tyrolean Man with Pipe by Hermann Franke

This is an original oil painting on board or canvas by the German artist Hermann Franke (1870-1925), a noted painter of the Munich School known for his character studies of Bavarian and Tyrolean peasants. The artwork depicts an elderly, bearded man wearing a traditional dark green felt hat adorned with a circular pin or gamsbart holder and a brown rustic coat. He is shown in a three-quarter profile, smoking a pipe with wisps of smoke visible against a dark, atmospheric background. The palette is dominated by earthy tones of sienna, ochre, and deep greens, executed with fine realist brushwork that highlights the weathered texture of the man's skin and the coarseness of his beard. The artist's distinctive cursive signature, 'H. Franke - Ddf' (referring to Dusseldorf), is clearly visible in the lower-left corner in a light pigment. The piece is housed in a simple gilded frame which shows some minor edge wear and surface abrasions consistent with age. The painting appears to be in good overall condition with typical surface grime but no major evidence of craquelure or restoration, dating likely to the late 19th or early 20th century.