Jean-Valentin Metzinger (19 April 1699, Saint-Avold – 12 March 1759, Ljubljana) was a French-born Austrian-Slovenian painter, in the

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

style.

Life and work

His ancestors were originally from Italy. He was one of twelve children born to François Metzinger (died 1721), and his wife, Maria Magdalena née Valentini; including his twin brother, Jean-Philippe. Where he had his first painting lessons is unknown. He later studied in Bologna, Venice and Rome, but there is no record of attendance at any academies. In Rome, his primary contacts were with other French artists, although he seems to have been influenced by

Guido Reni Guido Reni (; 4 November 1575 – 18 August 1642) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, although his works showed a classical manner, similar to Simon Vouet, Nicolas Poussin, and Philippe de Champaigne. He painted primarily religious ...

, Peter Paul Rubens and

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo Bartolomé Esteban Murillo ( , ; late December 1617, baptized January 1, 1618April 3, 1682) was a Spanish Baroque painter. Although he is best known for his religious works, Murillo also produced a considerable number of paintings of contemporar ...

, among others. Some speculations have centered on time in Germany, but those influences are not apparent until much later in his life."Metzinger, Janez Valentin"
@ Slovenska biografija The first known reference to his presence in Ljubljana (then called Laibach) is in a municipal revenue book, from 1727, when he made a payment toward acquiring a license. In that record, he is described as a "professional painter". Why he chose to settle there is unknown. He was married in 1731, to an older woman, and had no children. His first employment came from the Franciscans, who commissioned numerous works between 1727 and 1730, in Novo mesto (Neustädtl) and Brežice (Rann). Some of his projects were accomplished in areas that are now part of Croatia, including Jastrebarsko, Samobor, Klanjec, and Trsat. He also received commissions from the Capuchins. His individual clients included the theologians, and , and Bishop . His wife preceded him in death by six months. He died, following a long illness, at the age of sixty; leaving his estate to a nephew. Although he never had any formal students, his paintings are cited as having influenced Anton Cebej and . Most of his works are in Ljubljana, but they may also be seen in

Styria Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styria is the second largest state of Austria, after Lower Austria. Styria is bordered to ...

Passau Passau (; bar, label=Central Bavarian, Båssa) is a city in Lower Bavaria, Germany, also known as the Dreiflüssestadt ("City of Three Rivers") as the river Danube is joined by the Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north. Passau's popu ...

, and Trieste. Over 500 works have been attributed to him, although many may have largely been done by assistants in his workshop. Some exist in several versions.

References

External links

"Valentin Metzinger: Življenje in delo baročnega slikarja"
@ National Gallery of Slovenia
"Valentin Metzinger"
@ Slovenski baročni slikarji {{DEFAULTSORT:Metzinger, Valentin 1699 births 1759 deaths 18th-century French painters Austrian painters Slovenian painters Religious painters People from Saint-Avold

Life and work

References

Further reading

External links