Paul Ott

Ott’s beautiful and striking Queen of the Night, the lead villain in Mozart’s ‘The Magic Flute’ can be identified by her striking pose and exotic head dress. The inscription 'Konignin Der Nacht’ to the lower right confirms this.

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The piece has a strong Symbolist feel, and particularly the somewhat more direct German strand - the influence of fellow German Symbolists Arnold Bocklin and Franz von stuck can be seen. Symbolism initially developed as a French literary movement, its focus on the artistic expression of the poetic, unknown and intangible. The figure of the femme fatale is a common Symbolist subject, a fascination with the powerful but dangerous seductress and mystery within it. As a character who has been seen by some to represent obscurantism and shows the power of darkness and the unknown, the Queen of the Night is very much a perfect Symbolist figure. The subject and style marry perfectly here making it a very pure and intense work. There are surprisingly few depictions of The Queen of the Night, despite being such a prominent figure, making this a very rare and important work.

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Other works by Paul Ott are rare. Not much is known about his life beyond his attendance at art academies in Berlin and Munich and then his return to native Gera in the East Germany.

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