In 1832, at the age of 18, he travelled to Munich where he enrolled at a school established by the Bavarian King Ludwig I for Greek war orphans. Afterwards he trained at the Munich art academy and embarked on a highly successful career as a painter, devoting himself largely to portraying scenes from Greek life and history, in particular from the war that had cost his father his life.
Although he travelled extensively, his studio was always based in Munich, where he employed several assistants; he is also buried in the Bavarian capital.
Vryzakis took part in major international exhibitions in Paris, London and Vienna, winning several medals for his paintings. In 1860, he painted the Portrait of a Young Greek Woman, a 3ft 2in x 2ft 4in (98 x 71cm) canvas, which was on sale at Neumeister (27% buyer’s premium) in Munich on December 4.
Vryzakis also executed several works for the Greek church of the Annunciation in Manchester.
The painting at Neumeister had an illustrious provenance: a label on the back of the frame showed that it had once belonged to Prince Ludwig Ferdinand, the grandson of King Ludwig I.
Paintings by Vryzakis seldom make it to auctions in western Europe – in his will Vryzakis donated a great number of works to the University of Athens, which are now in the Greek National Gallery.
The estimate of €20,000-30,000 attracted numerous potential buyers who pushed the price to €175,000 (£150,860), with an international buyer securing it.
