My Wife's Lovers
Carl Kahler, 1891Fine art reproduction on 200gsm matte paper. A5 to A2, plus 12x16 and 18x24 inches.Forty-two cats lounge across silk and velvet, and every one of them belonged to the same woman.
In 1891 the American millionaire Kate Birdsall Johnson asked the Austrian painter Carl Kahler to paint her cats. Kahler had never painted a cat before. He spent about three years studying their poses and habits. Her prized cat Sultan, bought in Paris, takes the place of honour at the centre.
Look closely at the rug along the lower edge. Fine pale flecks run through its pattern, a delicate craquelure where the old paint has crazed with age. The canvas earned every one. It survived the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the same disaster which took Kahler's life. In 2015 it sold at Sotheby's for $826,000 to a private collector.
The look
Ivory, silver and ginger fur against rose silk, deep green drapery and a dark patterned rug. A warm, crowded, joyful painting with the richness of a Victorian salon. Maximalist wall art for a living room, hallway or reading room, and a striking piece of vintage wall art above a sofa.
Sizes
| Size | Centimetres | Inches |
|---|---|---|
| A5 | 14.8 x 21 cm | 5.8 x 8.3 in |
| A4 | 21 x 29.7 cm | 8.3 x 11.7 in |
| A3 | 29.7 x 42 cm | 11.7 x 16.5 in |
| A2 | 42 x 59.4 cm | 16.5 x 23.4 in |
| 12 x 16 in | 30.5 x 40.6 cm | 12 x 16 in |
| 18 x 24 in | 45.7 x 61 cm | 18 x 24 in |
This painting stops at A2. Above that size the original photograph loses the fine detail of the brushwork, so the shop does not offer it.
Custom sizes on request. Inch sizes have a slightly different shape from A sizes, so the edges trim a little. Size guide
Frames and delivery
Choose a black, white or oak frame, or order the print unframed. It is printed locally in the UK, Europe, the US, Canada or Australia, at the location closest to you. Free tracked shipping, no customs fees. Printing and delivery
Gifting
A memorable gift for a housewarming, a birthday or a new home, or in memory of a much-loved cat.
More like this
More Carl Kahler in our Dogs and Cats collection: Three Black Cats. For more animals painted with character, see Curiosity by Horatio Henry Couldery in the same collection.
