Johann Michael Graff (; sometimes also Johann Michael Graaf, Johann Michael Graaff, Johann Michael Graf or Johann Michael Kraff, fl. c. 1765-68), was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

Rococo Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...

sculptor and plasterer. Among his most celebrated decorations are those at

Schönhausen Palace Schönhausen Palace () is a Baroque palace at Niederschönhausen, in the borough of Pankow, Berlin, Germany. It is surrounded by gardens through which the Panke river runs. The palace is maintained by the Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundatio ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, and

Rundāle Palace Rundāle Palace (; ) is one of the two major baroque palaces built for the Dukes of Courland in what is now Latvia, the other being Jelgava Palace. The palace was built in two periods, from 1736 until 1740 and from 1764 until 1768. It is situated ...

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

. Graff came from a family of stucco decorators from

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

who were members of the so-called Wessobrunner School. He seems to have moved to

Brandenburg Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...

at some point, where he was influenced by the decorative style predominant in and around

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

. He very probably made decorations for

before being hired by the

Duke of Courland The Duchy of Courland and Semigallia was a duchy in the Baltic region, then known as Livonia, that existed from 1561 to 1569 as a nominal vassal state of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and subsequently made part of the Crown of the Polish Kingdo ...

Peter von Biron Peter von Biron (15 February 1724 – 13 January 1800) was the last duke of Courland and Semigallia from 1769 to 1795, when it was annexed by the Russian Empire. Life and reign Peter was born in Jelgava () as the oldest son of Ernst Johann ...

, to decorate his residences in present-day

. He is known to have decorated

Jelgava Palace Jelgava Palace () or historically Mitau Palace (, ) is the largest Baroque-style palace in the Baltic states. It was built in the 18th century based on the design of Bartolomeo Rastrelli as a residence for the Dukes of Courland in their capital o ...

(decorations destroyed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

) and Rundāle Palace for the Duke. In present-day

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

, he also made lavish stucco decorations for

Põltsamaa Castle Põltsamaa Castle (; ), also Põltsamaa Order Castle, (), is a castle in Põltsamaa, Jõgeva County, in eastern Estonia. History The castle was founded by the Livonian Order in 1272, as a purely defensive Ordensburg, crusader fortress. During t ...

(destroyed during

), and possibly at Kabala Manor.

Gallery

File:Décor du salon dor (Palais de Rundale) (7656394248).jpg, Stucco decoration by Johann Michael Graff in

File:Décor dune alcôve (Palais de Rundale) (7656399266).jpg, Stucco decoration by Johann Michael Graff in

File:Décor en stuc du salon blanc (Palais de Rundale).jpg, Stucco decoration by Johann Michael Graff in

File:PDR 0011.JPG, Stucco decoration by Johann Michael Graff in

File:Marmorsaal.jpg, Stucco decoration by Johann Michael Graff in

(destroyed)

References

{{reflist 18th-century German male artists German male sculptors Rococo sculptors 18th-century German sculptors Year of birth missing Year of death missing