The Return of the Volunteer (Die Rückkehr des Freiwilligen)

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The Return of the Volunteer is Oppenheim's most overtly political painting in the cycle. It affirms the patriotism of German Jews and addresses the question of their assimilation. The work portrays a soldier who has returned home from the War of Liberation against Napoleon. In his haste to be reunited with his family, he has traveled on the Sabbath, contrary to Jewish law. His father is ambivalent seeing his son's decoration, the prestigious Iron Cross; he feels both pride at the military honor it represents and discomfort with its Christian symbolism.

Hundreds of German Jewish volunteers fought against Napoleon's forces. Ironically, after the French were defeated, Jews lost many of the civil rights they had gained under the French occupation.

This grisaille is based on an earlier work dated 1833-34 also in The Jewish Museum's collection.

Source: The Jewish Museum, New York, MORITZ DANIEL OPPENHEIM: SCENES FROM FRANKFURT'S JEWISH PAST, July 2-December 10, 2000.

Provenance: the artist's family (after 1866; sold to Hermann Cramer); Hermann Cramer, Frankfurt, Germany (until d. 1919); his wife, Hedwig Cramer, Frankfurt, Germany (1919-d. 1934); her son, Sally H. Cramer, Hamburg, Germany, later London, England (1934-d.1952); his son, Robert Cramer (1952); [sale, ?London, England, about 1952]?.Oscar Gruss, New York, N.Y. (until 1999)

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Published References: Heuberger, Georg and Anton Merk, eds. MORITZ DANIEL OPPENHEIM: DIE ENTDECKUNG DES JÜDISCHEN SELBSTBEWUSSTSEINS IN DER KUNST. JEWISH IDENTITY IN 19TH CENTURY ART. Köln: Wienand, 1999, no. VI.38, pp 303, 375.

Kleeblatt, Norman L. THE PAINTINGS OF MORITZ OPPENHEIM: JEWISH LIFE IN 19TH CENTURY GERMANY. Exh. brochure. New York: The Jewish Museum, New York, 1981.

Oppenheim, Moritz. BILDER AUS DEM ALTJÜDISCHEN FAMILIEN. Frankfurt am Main, Verlag Von Heinrich Keller, 1882, no. 20.

This information may change as the result of ongoing research