Johann Heinrich Tischbein the Elder, known as the Kasseler Tischbein, (3 October 1722,

Haina Haina (Kloster) is a municipality in Waldeck-Frankenberg in northwest Hesse, Germany. Geography Location Haina lies in Waldeck-Frankenberg south of Frankenberg and east of Burgwald at the southwest slope of the Kellerwald range. It lies on th ...

– 22 August 1789, Kassel) was one of the most respected European painters in the 18th century and an important member of the

Tischbein family The Tischbein family was a German family of artists, originating in Hesse and spanning three generations. The family patriarch, Johann Heinrich Tischbein (1682–1764), was a master baker at the State Hospital in Haina. The Tischbeins also produce ...

of German painters, which spanned three generations. His work consisted primarily of

portrait 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 ...

s of the nobility, mythological scenes, and historical paintings. For his mythology paintings his models were mostly members of the upper nobility.

Life

His father was Johann Tischbein (1682-1764), a baker; five of whose eight children became painters. From 1736 to 1741, he studied wallpaper painting and, later, oil painting with Johann Georg von Freese (1701–1775), after which he worked in the service of small princely courts. In 1743, thanks to the sponsorship of Count Johann Philipp von Stadion, he was able to go to Paris and study with

Carle van Loo Carle or Carlé is a surname. Notable people with the name include: *Andrea Cosima Carle, whose stage name is Maggie Mae (1960 – 2021), German singer *Barbara Carle (born 1958), French-American poet, critic, translator and Italianist *David Ca ...

. In 1749, he travelled to Venice to study with Giovanni Battista Piazzetta, then spent a year in Rome. In 1753, he was appointed

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 ...

William VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel William VIII (10 March 1682 – 1 February 1760) ruled the German Landgraviate Hesse-Kassel from 1730 until his death, first as regent (1730–1751) and then as landgrave (1751–1760). Life Born in Kassel, he was the seventh son of Charles I, L ...

. In addition to portraits, this included decorations at . During the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754 ...

, he fled from the advancing French Army and lived in several locations until the occupation ended in 1762. When he returned, he was appointed a Professor at the new Collegium Carolinum in Kassel. When he was not teaching, he spent his time at

Schloss Warthausen Schloss Warthausen (Warthausen palace) is a schloss (large country palace) near the town of Warthausen in Germany. It has been home to several famous historical personages, including authors Christoph Martin Wieland and Sophie von La Roche, and p ...

near

Biberach an der Riß Biberach an der Riß ( Swabian: ''Bibra''), often referred to as simply Biberach (), is a town in southern Germany. It is the capital of Biberach district, in the Upper Swabia region of the German state (Land) of Baden-Württemberg. It is calle ...

; an estate owned by his old patron, Stadion. Because of his friendship with Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock, he also spent some time in

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...

. He was married twice, in 1756 and 1763, and had two daughters, both by his first wife.

Works

Johann Heinrich Tischbein the Elder - Der Raub der Europa

* ''Resurrection'' (1763), altarpiece for the St. Michaelis Church, Hamburg, burned in 1906 * ''Transfiguration'' (1765), Lutherische Kirche in Kassel * Passion and Ascension cycle (1778) for the St. Elisabeth Catholic Church in Kassel, now in the Cathedral Museum Fulda * ''Kreuzabnahme'' und ''Himmelfahrt'' (1787), altarpiece for the Jakobikirche in

Stralsund Stralsund (; Swedish: ''Strålsund''), officially the Hanseatic City of Stralsund (German: ''Hansestadt Stralsund''), is the fifth-largest city in the northeastern German federal state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania after Rostock, Schwerin, N ...

* ''Christ on the Mount of Olives'' (1788), former Cistercian Monastery in

* Allegory on the Founding of the Kasseler Akademie * Hercules and Omphale * May Day at Gut Freienhagen

Portraits

* Self-portrait with his first wife * The actress Evérard * The poet Philippine Engelhard née Gatterer * Landgraf Friederick II * Princess Christine Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel

References

External links

Works of Johann Heinrich Tischbein
@ The Athenaeum {{DEFAULTSORT:Tischbein, Johann Heinrich 1722 births 1789 deaths People from Waldeck-Frankenberg 18th-century German painters 18th-century German male artists German male painters People from the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel Johann Heinrich German portrait painters