Johann Claudius Herr (1775 – after 1838), alternatively spelled Klaudius Herr or Claudius Heer, was an

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ** Austria-Hungary ** Austria ...

painter and miniaturist. He was well known as an exceptional artist of the Vienna Porcelain Manufactory.

Biography

Herr was born in 1775 to a family embroiled in the porcelain trade of

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

. Several of his family members worked at the Vienna Porcelain Manufactory, including his father Johann (d. 1792) and his uncle Claudius. By the age of 10, he was already introduced to life at the factory. He showed an aptitude for drawing, and his talents were fostered by the resident artists. He became an apprentice in

figure painting A figure painting is a work of fine art in any of the Painting#Painting media, painting media with the primary subject being the human figure, whether clothed or Nude (art), nude. Figure painting may also refer to the activity of creating such ...

in 1791, and he became a student at the Academy of Vienna in 1793. By 1801, Herr was considered one of the best painters in the trade. His works were highly valued and he was a top earner at the factory. He mainly decorated smaller items such tobacco cans, lids, coffee mugs, pomade tins and tobacco pipes until 1806. He then moved primarily to plates, which he painted with scenes of mythological events. He started producing larger tableaus on serving platters in 1816. Between 1818 and 1819, Herr was one of the artists commissioned on a gift of 62 porcelain plates for the

Duke of Wellington Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they ar ...

from

King Frederick William III of Prussia Frederick William III (; 3 August 1770 – 7 June 1840) was King of Prussia from 16 November 1797 until his death in 1840. He was concurrently Elector of Brandenburg in the Holy Roman Empire until 6 August 1806, when the empire was dissolved ...

. Herr was an expert at reproducing famous works on porcelain, and his skill outpaced many of his contemporaries. He became a favorite of Emperor Francis I, who often would gift plates and cups decorated by Herr. His reproduction of '' Jupiter and Thetis'' was received at the Viennese Art Exhibition in 1834. Beginning in 1831, Herr took longer pauses from the factory. He deferred work to his brother Laurenz Herr (1787 – after 1850), whose artistry was also highly praised. He ceased working at the factory altogether in 1838.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Herr, Claudius 1775 births Painters from the Austrian Empire Year of death missing