Karl Theodor von Piloty (1 October 1826 – 21 July 1886) was a German

painter Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

, noted for his historical subjects, and recognised as the foremost representative of the realistic school in Germany.

Life and work

Piloty was born 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 ...

. His father, Ferdinand Piloty (d. 1844), enjoyed a great reputation as a

lithograph Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the miscibility, immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by ...

er. In 1840, Karl was admitted as a student of the Munich Academy, under the artists Karl Schorn and Julius Schnorr von Karolsfeld. A year later the acclaimed history paintings (referred to as the 'Belgian paintings'), i.e. the '' Compromise of the nobles'' and ''The Abdication of Charles V'' by the two Belgian artists Edouard de Bièfve and

Louis Gallait Louis Gallait (9 or 10 May 1810 – 20 November 1887) was a Walloons, Belgian painter. He lay at the basis of a revival of history painting in Belgium. He earned his reputation especially with the large painting of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, ...

, were shown in Munich and their realistic depiction of a historic subject matter made a lasting impression on him. After a journey to

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, Piloty commenced work as a painter of genre pictures, and, in 1853, produced a work, ''Die Amme'' (''The Wet Nurse''), which, on account of its originality of style, caused a considerable sensation in Germany at the time. But he soon forsook this branch of painting in favour of historical subjects, and produced in 1854 for King Maximilian II ''The Accession of Maximilian I to the Catholic League in 1609''. It was succeeded by ''Seni at the Dead Body of Wallenstein'' (1855), which gained for the young painter the membership of the Munich Academy, where he succeeded Schorn (his brother-in-law) as professor in 1856. Among other well-known works by Piloty are the '' Battle of the White Mountain near Prague'', ''Nero Dancing upon the Ruins of Rome'' (1861), ''Godfrey of Bouillon on a Pilgrimage to the Holy Land'' (1861), ''Galileo in Prison'' (1864) and ''The Death of Alexander the Great'' (unfinished), his last great work. He also executed a number of

mural A mural is any piece of Graphic arts, graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' ...

paintings for the royal palace in Munich. For Baron von Schach, Piloty painted the famous ''Discovery of America''. In 1874, he was appointed keeper of the Munich Academy, being afterwards ennobled by the king of Bavaria. Piloty was the foremost representative of the realistic school in Germany. He was a successful teacher, and among his more famous pupils were Hans Makart,

Franz von Lenbach Franz Seraph Lenbach, after 1882, Ritter von Lenbach (13 December 1836 – 6 May 1904), was a German painter known primarily for his portraits of prominent personalities from the nobility, the arts, and industry. Because of his standing in society ...

, Franz Defregger, Gabriel von Max, Georgios Jakobides, Eduard von Grützner, and Gyula Benczúr."Gyula Benczúr"
Christies.com. Accessed 14 February 2024

Gallery

File:Heinrich und anna boleyn Piloty.jpg, ''

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

and

Anne Boleyn Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the Wives of Henry VIII, second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and execution, by beheading ...

'' Image:Karl Theodor von Piloty 001.jpg, ''The Death of Wallenstein''. Image:Carl Theodor von Piloty Thusnelda im Triumphzug des Germanicus.jpg, '' Thusnelda at the
Triumph of

Germanicus Germanicus Julius Caesar (24 May 15 BC – 10 October AD 19) was a Roman people, Roman general and politician most famously known for his campaigns against Arminius in Germania. The son of Nero Claudius Drusus and Antonia the Younger, Germanicu ...

''. File:Karl Theodor von Piloty Murder of Caesar 1865.jpg, '' The Murder of Caesar''. File:The Death of Alexander the Great after the painting by Karl von Piloty (1886).jpg, ''The Death of

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon (; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip ...

''.

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Piloty, Karl Von 1826 births 1886 deaths Painters from Munich 19th-century German painters 19th-century German male artists German male painters Academic staff of the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich 19th-century painters of historical subjects Artists from the Kingdom of Bavaria