Johann Michael Voltz (16 October 1784 in

Nördlingen Nördlingen (; Swabian: ''Nearle'' or ''Nearleng'') is a town in the Donau-Ries district, in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, with a population of approximately 20,674. It is located approximately east of Stuttgart, and northwest of Munich. It was ...

– 17 April 1858 in

) was a German painter, graphic artist and political cartoonist.

Biography

His father was a schoolteacher. He studied with the engraver and art dealer Friedrich Weber in

Augsburg Augsburg ( , ; ; ) is a city in the Bavaria, Bavarian part of Swabia, Germany, around west of the Bavarian capital Munich. It is a College town, university town and the regional seat of the Swabia (administrative region), Swabia with a well ...

. His drawings and graphic prints brought him to the attention of the court painter. After completing his education he was employed by Herzberg, an academic bookstore in Augsburg, where he created popular prints. In 1809, after a brief stay in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

, he joined the firm of picture book publisher Friedrich Campe (1777-1846) in

Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...

, for which he worked until his death. In total, his oeuvre includes about 5000 drawings and etchings, which he created for Campe and several other art publishers in Augsburg and Nuremberg, including , and Georg Ebner. He focused on illustrations of battles and other historical events, such as " Luther at the

Diet of Worms The Diet of Worms of 1521 ( ) was an Imperial Diet (Holy Roman Empire), imperial diet (a formal deliberative assembly) of the Holy Roman Empire called by Emperor Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V and conducted in the Imperial Free City o ...

", as well as events of his own time - the

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

, the German War of Liberation against Napoleon, and later the

Greek War of Independence The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. In 1826, the Greeks were assisted ...

. In 1828 he made a series of drawings on

children's games This is a list of games that are played by children. Traditional children's games do not include commercial products such as board games but do include games which require props such as hopscotch or marbles (toys go in List of toys unless the toy ...

. He was also known as a prominent German political cartoonist of the early 19th Century. His cartoons, directed against Napoleon Bonaparte, are still reproduced in present-day history books. His depiction of the 1819 anti-Semitic Hep-Hep riots in

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

is often reproduced in articles and books about anti-Semitism in general. He was the father of the animal and landscape painters,

Friedrich Voltz Johann Friedrich Voltz (31 October 1817, Nördlingen - 25 June 1886, Munich) was a German landscape and animal painter of the Munich School. Life Voltz received his first art instruction from his father, Johann Michael Voltz, a painter and ...

, and Ludwig Gustav Voltz.

Selected works

File:Schreiber Hotzenstube 2.jpg, Interior of a home in Hauenstein Image:Hep Hep Krawalle 1819.jpg, Voltz's depiction of the 1819 anti-Jewish Hep-Hep riots in

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is, after Nuremberg and Fürth, the Franconia#Towns and cities, third-largest city in Franconia located in the north of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. It sp ...

File:Bodleian Libraries, Das fürchterliche Raubnest- oder Die Ruine der grossen Kaiserburg der Universalmonarchen.jpg, The Predatory Nest File:Ebner Schlittenfahrt.PNG, Sleigh Ride

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Voltz, Johann Michael 19th-century German painters 19th-century German male artists German male painters German editorial cartoonists German political artists German satirists German war artists German people of the Napoleonic Wars 1784 births 1858 deaths People from Nördlingen