Balthasar Anton Dunker (15 January 1746, Saal – 2 April 1807, Bern) was a German landscape painter and etcher.

Biography

He was the eldest son of

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

Albert Andreas Duncker (1706–1781) and his second wife, Sophie Dorothea von Olthof (d.1761). His early artistic career was promoted by his uncle, Adolf Friedrich von Olthof, a

Swedish Pomerania Swedish Pomerania ( sv, Svenska Pommern; german: Schwedisch-Pommern) was a dominion under the Swedish Crown from 1630 to 1815 on what is now the Baltic coast of Germany and Poland. Following the Polish War and the Thirty Years' War, Sweden held ...

n Councilor from Stralsund, who arranged for him to study with the landscape painter

Jakob Philipp Hackert Jacob Philipp Hackert (15 September 1737 – 28 April 1807) was a landscape painter from Brandenburg, who did most of his work in Italy. Biography Hackert was born in 1737 in Prenzlau in the Margraviate of Brandenburg (now in Germany). He t ...

. In 1765, Hackert took him to Paris and, after the Olthofs lost their fortune in 1768, took over his upbringing. In addition to receiving lessons from Joseph Marie Vien and

Noël Hallé Noël Hallé (2 September 1711, Paris – 5 June 1781, Paris) was a French painter, draftsman and printmaker. He was born into a family of artists, the son of Claude-Guy Hallé. Hallé took the Prix de Rome in 1736. He studied at the Fren ...

, he was influenced by the work of the

copper engraver Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an in ...

, Johann Georg Wille. He also studied the basics of

etching Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other types ...

with

Jacques Aliamet Jacques Aliamet (30 November 1726 in Abbeville – 29 May 1788 in Paris) was a French engraver. His brother François-Germain Aliamet was also an engraver. He perfected drypoint and his several surviving works include engravings after Nicolaes Be ...

. His first commissions came from the art dealer, Jacques-Gabriel Huquier, and enabled him to support himself. His etchings for the personal gallery of Duke Étienne-François de Choiseul are considered to be his first major work. In 1772, he went to

Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...

, to study with

Christian von Mechel Christian von Mechel (4 April 1737 in Basel; † 11 April 1817 in Berlin) was a Swiss engraver, publisher and art dealer. He developed a broad trade in art, through business connections throughout northern and central Europe; although the French ...

. Three years later, he married Johanna Franziska Fahrni, from

Eriz Eriz is a municipality in the administrative district of Thun in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. History Eriz is first mentioned in 1320 as ''Erarze''. The small alpine village was part of the '' Herrschaft'' of Heimberg during the Middle ...

. They had fifteen children; six of whom survived to adulthood, including Philipp Heinrich, who worked as a landscape painter and engraver in

Nuremberg Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...

. Following a disagreement between himself and Michel, he set out for Paris, but got only as far as Bern, Switzerland, where there was a thriving market for art and carvings. In 1777, he received his Bürgerrechte. He worked primarily as a landscape painter, artist and etcher, but also did portraits, caricatures, and bookplates. In addition he provided illustrations for two works by

Louis-Sébastien Mercier Louis-Sébastien Mercier (6 June 1740 – 25 April 1814) was a French dramatist and writer, whose 1771 novel ''L'An 2440'' is an example of proto-science fiction. Early life and education He was born in Paris to a humble family: his father was a ...

: ''Tableau de Paris'', and '' The Year 2440''. In the 1790s, his commissions decreased significantly, due to the unrest caused by the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

. Between 1798 and 1800, he wrote and drew caricatures for several works that were critical of the Revolution's outcome; including bitter, satirical attacks on the city of Bern, for capitulating during the French Invasion. His last years were spent in poverty.

Sources

* * * * Adolf Thürlings: ''Zur Erinnerung an Balthasar Anton Dunker, 1746–1807. Eine Auslese aus seinen Gedichten nebst einigen seiner Vignetten.'' Bern 1907.

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dunker, Balthasar Anton 1746 births 1807 deaths People from Vorpommern-Rügen People from Swedish Pomerania German landscape painters German engravers

Biography

See also

Sources

External links