Emil Johannes Hünten (19 January 1827 – 1 February 1902) was a German military painter. His works were often lithographed.
Biography
Born in Paris on 19 January 1827, the son of the composer,
Franz Hünten
Franz Hünten, also known as François Hünten (26 December 179222 February 1878), was a German pianist and composer of salon music.
He was born in Koblenz, the son of the organist Daniel Hünten, who taught Henri Herz. Like Herz, he moved to Pa ...
, he studied art under Hippolyte Flandrin and
Horace Vernet
Émile Jean-Horace Vernet (; 30 June 178917 January 1863) more commonly known as simply Horace Vernet, was a French painter of battles, portraits, and Orientalist subjects.
Biography
Early career
Vernet was born to Carle Vernet, another famo ...
at the
Ecole des Beaux Arts. In 1848, he moved to Antwerp to work in the studios of
Gustaf Wappers
Egide Charles Gustave, Baron Wappers (23 August 18036 December 1874) was a Belgian painter. His work is generally considered to be Flemish and he signed his work with the Dutch form of his name, Gustaaf Wappers.Note: The painter is known by one ...
and
Josephus Laurentius Dyckmans
Josephus Laurentius Dyckmans or Jozef Laurent Dyckmans (Lier, Belgium, Lier, 9 August 1811 – Antwerp, 8 January 1888) was a Belgian painter mainly of genre scenes and portraits whose painstakingly detailed pictures earned him the nickname 'The B ...
, before heading to
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...
in 1851 where his teachers were
Julius Lessing and
Wilhelm Camphausen
Wilhelm Camphausen (8 February 1818, Düsseldorf16 June 1885, Düsseldorf), was a German Painting, painter who specialized in historical and battle scenes.
Biography
He studied under Alfred Rethel and Friedrich Wilhelm Schadow. As an historical ...
.
With such influences, it is not surprising that the artist began to paint historical scenes from the life of
Frederick the Great
Frederick II (; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was the monarch of Prussia from 1740 until his death in 1786. He was the last Hohenzollern monarch titled ''King in Prussia'', declaring himself ''King of Prussia'' after annexing Royal Prussia ...
, and gradually turned to military subjects. His work appealed to Crown Prince
Frederick William of Prussia who invited him to accompany the army on the
campaign in Schleswig-Holstein in 1864. Two years later, Hünten was attached to the Prussian forces in the
Austro-Prussian War
The Austro-Prussian War (German: ''Preußisch-Österreichischer Krieg''), also known by many other names,Seven Weeks' War, German Civil War, Second War of Unification, Brothers War or Fraternal War, known in Germany as ("German War"), ''Deutsc ...
, and four year later, he covered the
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...
.
Among his customers were many famous people.
Otto von Bismarck
Otto, Prince of Bismarck, Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen, Duke of Lauenburg (; born ''Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck''; 1 April 1815 – 30 July 1898) was a German statesman and diplomat who oversaw the unification of Germany and served as ...
ordered a scene from the Battle of Gravelotte. He won medals for his works at Berlin (1872) and Vienna (1873), and became a member of the Berlin Academy in 1878. He excelled also as a painter of horses. One of his students was the English historical/military artist,
Ernest Crofts
Ernest Crofts (15 September 1847 – 19 March 1911) was a British painter of historical and military scenes.
Biography
Born in Leeds on 15 September 1847, Ernest was son of John Crofts, Esquire, Esq. of Adel, Leeds, Adal, near Leeds, a Justice ...
.
Theodor Fontane
Theodor Fontane (; 30 December 1819 – 20 September 1898) was a German novelist and poet, regarded by many as the most important 19th-century German-language Literary realism, realist author. He published the first of his novels, for which he i ...
was inspired by the Work of Emil Hünten for his novel
Wanderungen durch die Mark Brandenburg
''Wanderungen durch die Mark Brandenburg'' ("Ramblings through Brandenburg", "Rambles in Brandenburg" or "Walks through the Margraviate of Brandenburg, March of Brandenburg") is a five-volume travelogue by the Germany, German writer Theodor Fontan ...
. In his novel
Effi Briest
''Effi Briest'' () is a realist novel by Theodor Fontane. Published in book form in 1895, ''Effi Briest'' marks both a watershed and a climax in the poetic realism of literature. It can be thematically compared to other novels on 19th-century m ...
the protagonists visit Hüntens great panorama ''Battle of St. Privat'' in Berlin.
He died at
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...
on 1 February 1902.
Paintings
In Germany works by Emil Hünten are on display at the Palast Kunst Museum Düsseldorf, Kunsthalle Kiel (owns al least two works), Deutsches Historisches Museum Berlin, the Lower Saxony State Museum in Hanover and the Bismarck Museum in Friedrichsruh.
* ''Prussian Cuirassiers dashing over a Bridge'' (1852–53)
* ''Skirmish near Hennersdorf'' (1855)
* ''Skirmish at Reichenbach'' (1856)
* ''
Battle of Zorndorf
The Battle of Zorndorf, during the Seven Years' War, was fought on 25 August 1758 between Russian troops commanded by Count William Fermor and a Prussian army commanded by King Frederick the Great. The battle was tactically inconclusive, with b ...
'' (1858)
* ''Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick during the
Battle of Krefeld
The Battle of Krefeld (sometimes referred to by its French name of Créfeld) was fought at Krefeld near the Rhine on 23 June 1758 between a Prussian- Hanoverian army and a French army during the Seven Years' War.
Background
The Hanoverian ...
, 23 June 1758'' (1860)
* ''From the time of
Frederick the Great
Frederick II (; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was the monarch of Prussia from 1740 until his death in 1786. He was the last Hohenzollern monarch titled ''King in Prussia'', declaring himself ''King of Prussia'' after annexing Royal Prussia ...
''
* ''Assault on the
Düppel Redoubts'' (1865)
* ''Prussia Hussars against Danish Dragoons''
* ''Patrol of Cuirassiers''
* ''General von Nostitz at
Oeversee
Oeversee () is a municipality in the district of Schleswig-Flensburg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated approximately 10 km south of Flensburg. The Oeversee municipality was merged with Sankelmark on March 1, 2008. The new munic ...
''
* ''Austrian Officer with Flag of Truce''
* ''Reconnoitring at
Sadowa''
* ''Skirmish of Patrol near Thorstedt''
* ''Struggle with French Cavalry at Elsasshausen, 6 August 1870'' (1877)
* ''Fall Manoeuvres on the Rhine'' (1879)
* ''Battle near
Loigny, 2 December 1870'' (1882)
* ''Two Parforce riders'' (1883)
* ''Charge of the Cuirassiers at
Worth''
* ''The 53rd at Colombey''
* ''Charge of Hussars at Hebecourt''
* ''Guard-Dragoons at
Battle of Mars-la-Tour
The Battle of Mars-la-Tour (also known as the Battle of Vionville or Battle of Rezonville) was fought on 16 August 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War, near the village of Mars-La-Tour in northeast France. One Prussian corps, reinforced by tw ...
''
* ''The 39th Fusilier-regiment at
Gravelotte
Gravelotte (; ) is a commune in the Moselle department in Grand Est in north-eastern France, 11 km west of Metz. It is part of the functional area (''aire d'attraction'') of Metz. Its population is 827 (2019).
From 1871 until the end of ...
''
* ''At the Battle of Vionville, 16 August 1870''
* ''The Hessians at St. Privat''
* ''The search''
* ''
Chasseurs d'Afrique
''Chasseur'' ( , ), a French language, French term for "hunter", is the designation given to certain regiments of France, French and Belgium, Belgian light infantry () or light cavalry () to denote troops trained for rapid action.
History
T ...
at
Sedan''
* ''The meeting of
Bismark and
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
after
Sedan''
Further reading
* Obituary, ''The Athenaeum'', 1902, page 218.
* ''Bryan's Dictionary of Painters and Engravers''. London: G. Bell and Sons, 1921. Vol III, pp. 306–307.
External links
Museum Kunst Palast, Düsseldorf (website) which owns 24 notebooks by Hünten, including more than 1000 sketches.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunten, Emil
1827 births
1902 deaths
19th-century German painters
19th-century German male artists
German male painters
German war artists
19th-century German war artists