Johann Heinrich (a.k.a. John Henry) Ramberg (22 July 1763 – 6 July 1840) was a German painter and printmaker. Ramberg was born at

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

to a father who fostered his artistic talent. He first showed his talent by drawings of scenes in the

Harz Mountains The Harz () is a highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The name ''Harz'' derives from the Middle High German ...

. These became known to George III, King of Great Britain, his sovereign, since he was also

Elector of Hanover The Electorate of Hanover (german: Kurfürstentum Hannover or simply ''Kurhannover'') was an electorate of the Holy Roman Empire, located in northwestern Germany and taking its name from the capital city of Hanover. It was formally known as ...

. In 1781 he was introduced to George III and made "many humorous sketches and caricatures" for him.Graves, R. E. and Annette Peach. "Johann Heinrich Ramberg". ''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

''. Oxford University Press. 2004. Retrieved on 6 February 2008. George induced Ramberg to go to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, where he provided support. Ramberg may have been a student of Joshua Reynolds and

Francesco Bartolozzi __NOTOC__ Francesco Bartolozzi (21 September 1727, in Florence – 7 March 1815, in Lisbon) was an Italian engraver, whose most productive period was spent in London. He is noted for popularizing the "crayon" method of engraving. Early life B ...

; in November 1781, he studied with

Benjamin West Benjamin West, (October 10, 1738 – March 11, 1820) was a British-American artist who painted famous historical scenes such as '' The Death of Nelson'', ''The Death of General Wolfe'', the '' Treaty of Paris'', and '' Benjamin Franklin Drawin ...

at the Royal Academy Schools. In 1782 he began exhibiting at the Royal Academy and in 1784 he was awarded a silver medal for his life drawing. In 1784 Ramberg drew the exhibition itself, showing Reynolds and the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

, as well as several other pieces. According to the ''

'', " ese works are of interest to historians for their record of exhibitions in the Great Room of the Royal Academy in the late eighteenth century." In 1788, Ramberg visited the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, and then returned to Hanover in 1792, where he was appointed electoral

court painter A court painter was an artist who painted for the members of a royal or princely family, sometimes on a fixed salary and on an exclusive basis where the artist was not supposed to undertake other work. Painters were the most common, but the cour ...

. While court painter he periodically took on students, including John Fischer. He painted the curtain the court theater in Hanover in 1789. He met the German author

Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as tr ...

in 1790–91 and painted ''Alexander Crossing the Granicus'' as a decoration for

Carlton House Carlton House was a mansion in Westminster, best known as the town residence of King George IV. It faced the south side of Pall Mall, and its gardens abutted St James's Park in the St James's district of London. The location of the house, no ...

. He was also a book illustrator, participating in John Boydell's Shakespeare Gallery, for example, and Thomas Macklin's Poets' Gallery. He painted

portraits A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expressions are predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person. For this r ...

of members of the British royal family: the princesses Mary, Elizabeth, and Sophia. He illustrated German almanacs and pocketbooks for over 20 years, but according to the ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' "his best illustrations are those which he himself etched for the narrative cycles Reineke Fuchs and Tyll Eulenspiegel, both published in 1826". He became one of the most well known illustrators in Germany. He did the drawings for a deluxe edition of Wieland's works. Ramberg died at Hanover and was buried in the Gartenkirchhof.

Notes

External links

J. H. Ramberg as Illustrator of Books
A Digital Bibliography and Catalogue of Illustrations (in progress; in English and German)

Literature

* Alexander Košenina (Hrsg.): Literatur – Bilder. Johann Heinrich Ramberg als Buchillustrator der Goethezeit. Wehrhahn Verlag, Hannover 2013, . * Greiffenegg und Ramberg: eine Freundschaft in Zeichnungen. Ausstellungskatalog, Haus der Graphischen Sammlung im Augustinermuseum 8. Juli 2017 - 3. Oktober 2017 / herausgegeben von Felix Reuße für die Städtischen Museen Freiburg, Augustinermuseum. * Johann Heinrich Ramberg / Dietrich Wilhelm Soltau: Reineke Fuchs – Reynard the Fox. 31 Originalzeichnungen und neu kolorierte Radierungen mit Auszügen aus der deutschen Übersetzung des Epos im populären Stil v. Soltau , 31 original drawings and newly colored etchings with excerpts from the English translation of the burlesque poem by Soltau. Hrsg. Waltraud Maierhofer. VDG, Weimar 2016. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Ramberg, Johann 1763 births 1840 deaths German artists Court painters