Franz Xaver Andreas Petter (23 October 1791 – 11 May 1866) was an Austrian artist. Petter was born in

Lichtental Lichtental is a part of the district of Alsergrund, Vienna. It was an independent municipality until 1850. Notable people * Hans-Adam I, Prince of Liechtenstein (1657–1712) lived here. * Caterina Cavalieri (1755–1801), opera singer, was bo ...

; his father was a painter of porcelain, and it was intended that he should follow in the same profession, but Petter developed an interest in oil painting. He studied under Johann Baptist Drechsler at the

Academy of Fine Arts Vienna The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna () is a public art school in Vienna, Austria. Founded in 1688 as a private academy, it is now a public university. The academy is also known for twice rejecting admission to a young Adolf Hitler in 1907 and 1908. ...

. Franz Xaver Petter was one of the most important still-life artists of the

Biedermeier The Biedermeier period was an era in Central European art and culture between 1815 and 1848 during which the middle classes grew in number and artists began producing works appealing to their sensibilities. The period began with the end of th ...

period in Vienna. He specialised in floral arrangements, and later arrangements of fruit, and landscapes with flowers, continuing the

Dutch Golden Age The Dutch Golden Age ( ) was a period in the history of the Netherlands which roughly lasted from 1588, when the Dutch Republic was established, to 1672, when the '' Rampjaar'' occurred. During this period, Dutch trade, scientific development ...

flower

still life A still life (: still lifes) is a work of art depicting mostly wikt:inanimate, inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which are either natural (food, flowers, dead animals, plants, rocks, shells, etc.) or artificiality, human-m ...

depicting traditions. Petter's pictures were very popular with the Austrian nobility. Petter married Catherine Hamböck (1793-1858). They had two sons, Theodore, who became an artist, and Gustav, a musician. Franz Xaver Petter died in May 1866 in

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. ...

References

1791 births 1866 deaths Painters from the Austrian Empire Still life painters Academy of Fine Arts Vienna alumni People from Alsergrund Artists from Vienna Austrian flower artists {{Austria-painter-stub