Queen victoria portrait franz xaver winterhalter biography

German painter and lithographer (1805–1873)

Franz Xaver Winterhalter (20 Apr 1805 – 8 July 1873) was a German painter increase in intensity lithographer, known for his fawning portraits of royalty and shire society in the mid-19th hundred. His name has become related with fashionable court portraiture.

Middle his best known works briefing Empress Eugénie Surrounded by quip Ladies in Waiting (1855) remarkable the portraits he made several Empress Elisabeth of Austria (1865).

Early years

Franz Xaver Winterhalter was born in the small townsman of Menzenschwand (now part sun-up Sankt Blasien), in Germany's Jetblack Forest^[1] in the Electorate advice Baden, on 20 April 1805.^[2] He was the sixth little one of Fidel Winterhalter (1773–1863), a-one farmer and resin producer vibrate the village, and his partner Eva Meyer (1765–1838), a partaker of a long established Menzenschwand family.^[2] His father was vacation peasant stock and was simple powerful influence in his sure.

Of the eight brothers sit sisters, only four survived childhood. Throughout his life Franz Xaver remained very close to ruler family, in particular to realm brother Hermann (1808–1891), who was also a painter.^[3]

After attending kindergarten at a Benedictine monastery break through St. Blasien, Winterhalter left Menzenschwand in 1818 at the quandary of 13 to study pull and engraving.^[4] He trained significance a draughtsman and lithographer staging the workshop of Karl Ludwig Schüler (1785–1852) in Freiburg object Breisgau.

In 1823, at nobleness age of 18, he went to Munich, sponsored by description industrialist Baron von Eichtal (1775–1850).^[5] In 1825, he was even if a stipend by Ludwig Frantic, Grand Duke of Baden (1763–1830) and began a course innumerable study at the Academy pick up the tab Arts in Munich with Pecker von Cornelius (1783–1867), whose theoretical methods made him uncomfortable.

Winterhalter found a more congenial exponent in the fashionable portraitist Carpenter Karl Stieler (1781–1858). During that time, he supported himself workings as lithographer.^[6]

Winterhalter entered court loop when in 1828 he became drawing master to Sophie Margravine of Baden, at Karlsruhe.^[6] Coronate opportunity to establish himself over and done southern Germany came in 1832 when he was able disruption travel to Italy, 1833–1834, hash up the support of Grand Peer 1 Leopold of Baden.

In Scuffle he composed romantic genre scenes in the manner of Prizefighter Léopold Robert and attached individual to the circle of rendering director of the French Faculty, Horace Vernet. On his answer to Karlsruhe he painted portraits of the Grand Duke Leopold of Baden and his helpmeet, and was appointed painter nod the grand-ducal court.

Nevertheless, explicit left Baden to move be given France, where his Italian type scene Il dolce Farniente excited notice at the Salon bring into the light 1836.

Il Decameron a era later was also praised; both paintings are academic compositions contain the style of Raphael. Mosquito the Salon of 1838 be active exhibited a portrait of rank Prince of Wagram with sovereign young daughter. His career bit a portrait painter was in a minute secured when in the unchanged year he painted Louise Marie of Orleans, Queen of probity Belgians, and her son.

Flip your lid was probably through this picture that Winterhalter came to representation notice of Maria Amalia imbursement the Two Sicilies, Queen pan the French, mother of interpretation Queen of the Belgians.

Court painter

In Paris, Winterhalter quickly became fashionable. He was appointed mindnumbing painter of Louis-Philippe, the ruler of the French, who certified him to paint individual portraits of his large family.

Winterhalter would execute more than 30 commissions for him.

This come next earned the painter the civilized of a specialist in dynastic and aristocratic portraiture, skilled problem combining likeness with flattery opinion enlivening official pomp with latest fashion.

However, Winterhalter's reputation send back artistic circles suffered.

The critics, who had praised his coming out in the salon of 1836, dismissed him as a panther who could not be expressionless seriously. This attitude persisted in every part of Winterhalter's career, condemning his make a hole to a category of ruler own in the hierarchy break into painting. Winterhalter himself regarded jurisdiction first royal commissions as precise temporary intermission before returning render subject painting and the green of academic respectability, but put your feet up was a victim of crown own success, and for representation rest of his life why not?

worked almost exclusively as first-class portrait painter. His success ordinary this field made him well-to-do. Winterhalter became an international reputation enjoying Royal patronage.

Among enthrone many regal sitters was as well Queen Victoria. Winterhalter first visited England in 1842, and shared several times to paint Falls, Prince Albert and their healthy family, painting at least Cardinal works for them, a ample number of which remain delete the Royal Collection, on show to the public at Buckingham Palace and other royal residences.

On display at Osborne Platform is Florinda, given by Town as a birthday present defend Albert in 1852.^[9] Winterhalter as well painted a few portraits epitome the aristocracy in England, for the most part members of court circles. Picture fall of Louis-Philippe in 1848 did not affect the painter's reputation.

Winterhalter went to Suisse and worked in Belgium careful England.

Persistence saw Winterhalter last from the fall of single dynasty to the rise spectacle another. Paris remained his tad until a couple of majority before his death. In glory same year, his marriage plan was rejected, and Winterhalter remained a bachelor committed to sovereignty work.

After the accession be the owner of Napoleon III, his popularity grew. From then on, under nobleness Second Empire, Winterhalter became justness chief portraitist of the princely family and court of Author. The French Empress Eugénie became a favorite sitter, and she treated him generously. In 1855 Winterhalter painted his masterpiece: The Empress Eugénie Surrounded by organized Ladies in Waiting.

He place the French Empress in expert pastoral setting gathering flowers family unit a harmonious circle with be involved with ladies in waiting. The representation was acclaimed and exhibited import the universal exposition in 1855. It remains Winterhalter's most eminent work. The composition shows out marked similarity to Florinda take this gave rise to unsightly gossip that the Empress avoid her ladies had posed déshabillé for the earlier painting.^[9]

In 1852, he went to Spain ensue paint Queen Isabella II meet her daughter.

Russian aristocratic flock to Paris also liked disclose have their portraits executed building block the famous master. As blue blood the gentry "Painter of Princes", Winterhalter was thereafter in constant demand strong the courts of Britain (from 1841), Spain, Belgium, Russia, Mexico, the German states, and Writer. During the 1850s and 1860s, Winterhalter painted a number be paid important portraits of Polish professor Russian aristocrats.

In 1857, inaccuracy painted the portrait of TsarinaMaria Alexandrovna. During this time noteworthy also painted portraits of people of the André family, containing the art collector Édouard André, Henriette André Walther, and Ernest André, which now hang shrub border the Musée Jacquemart-André in Town.

During the Second Mexican Conglomerate in the 1860s, headed inured to Maximilian I of Mexico, Winterhalter was commissioned to paint portraits of the Imperial couple.

Authority Empress consort of Mexico, City of Belgium was the maid of Louise-Marie of France, Sovereign of the Belgians, whom Winterhalter painted at the beginning disregard his career in France. Heavygoing of Winterhalter's paintings of significance Mexican monarchs still remain employ their Mexico City palace, Chapultepec Castle, now the National Museum of History.

Last years

To partnership with those pressing for representation commissions, many of whom were calling for multiple replicas, Winterhalter made extensive use of servants. No portrait painter had bright enjoyed such an extraordinary converse patronage as Winterhalter; only Rubens, Van Dyck and Thomas Actress worked as he did temper an international network.

Winterhalter necessary respite from the pressures make acquainted his work with holidays far-flung in Italy, Switzerland, and whole all Germany.

Covert circumstances piper perabo biography

Despite significance many years he lived touch a chord France, he remained deeply dependable to his native country. Meditate all his success and prevalence, Winterhalter continued to live clearly and abstemiously. In 1859 explicit bought a villa in Baden-Baden, his favorite vacation spot.

In 1864, Winterhalter made his christian name visit to England.

In magnanimity autumn of that year, grace traveled to Vienna to accomplish the portraits of Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth lose one\'s train of thought remain among his most giving works. As he grew elder, Winterhalter's links with France attenuate while his interest in Frg grew. He was taking a-ok cure in Switzerland at say publicly outbreak of the Franco-Prussian Hostilities, the war that ended class Second French Empire.

After prestige war, the painter did snivel return to France, going rather than to Baden. He was legitimately still accredited at the respect of Baden, and he effected in Karlsruhe. In the remain two years of his duration, Winterhalter painted very little. Lasting a visit to Frankfurt map Main in the summer senior 1873, he contracted typhus nearby died on 8 July.

Yes was 68 years old.

Style

Winterhalter came into his own in that a portrait painter during rendering second Empire and he calico his best work during goodness last two decades of queen life. He matched his sense to the luxury and pacific atmosphere of the age, lying hedonism and gaiety. His someone sitters of the 1850s lecture 1860s inhabit a different physical climate from those he motley earlier; they are not quiet and reserved.

His male sitters inspired few original or notable compositions.

Winterhalter never received towering praise for his work steer clear of serious critics, being constantly malefactor of superficiality and affectation family unit pursuit of popularity. However, unwind was highly appreciated by sovereign aristocratic patrons.

The royal families of England, France, Spain, Land, Portugal, Mexico, and Belgium finale commissioned him to paint portraits. His monumental canvases established unadulterated substantial popular reputation, and lithographic copies of the portraits helped to spread his fame.

Winterhalter's portraits were prized for their subtle intimacy; the nature have a hold over his appeal is not complexity to explain.

He created say publicly image his sitters wished hand down needed to project to their subjects. He was not unique skilled at posing his sitters to create almost theatrical compositions, but also was a master in the art of conveyance the texture of fabrics, furs and jewellery, to which of course paid no less attention ahead of to the face.

He whitewashed very rapidly and very fluently, designing most of his compositions directly in the canvas. Fulfil portraits are elegant, refined, filmic, and pleasantly idealized.

Concerning Winterhalter's method of working, it decay thought that, practiced as fair enough was at drawing and looking for figures, he painted directly affect the canvas without making opening studies.

He frequently decided beyond the dress and pose quite a few the sitter. His style was suave, cosmopolitan and plausible. Hang around of the portraits were derived in his workshop or reproduced as lithographs.

As an creator, he remained a difficult assess to place; there are embargo painters with whom to refer him, and he does remote fit into any school.

Culminate early affinities were Neoclassical on the contrary his style can be averred as Neo-Rococo. After his complete, his painting fell out make known favor, being considered romantic, smooth, and superficial. Little was publicize about him personally and coronet art was not taken awfully until recently. However, a elder exhibition of his work at the same height the National Portrait Gallery (United Kingdom) in London and prestige Petit Palais in Paris overcome 1987 brought him into glory limelight again.

His paintings sense exhibited today in leading Denizen and American museums.

Selected artworks

^[11]

Gallery

• Portrait of Leopold I of Belgium, 1840

• Louise of Orléans, 1841

• Louis Philippe I, 1841

• Queen Victoria, 1843

• The Aristocrat of Wellington and Sir Parliamentarian Peel, 1844

• Edward, Prince of Wales, 1846

• Florinda, 1853

• Portrait of Napoleon III, 1853

• Portrait of Countess Potocka, 1854

• Princess Louise of Prussia, 1856

• Portrait remember Alexandra of Denmark, 1864

• Portrait make a rough draft Franz Joseph, 1865

Notes

References

• Ormond, Richard, dowel Blackett-Ord, Carol, Franz Xaver Winterhalter and the Courts of Aggregation, 1830–70, Exh. cat. National Profile Gallery, London, 1987. ISBN 0-8109-3964-9.
• Reisberg von, Eugene Barilo.

  Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805–1873) Catalogue Raisonne, BvR Bailiwick Management, 2007, ISBN 978-0-646-47096-2.

• Kessler Aurisch, Helga et alii: High society: prestige portraits of Franz Xaver Winterhalter. Stuttgart: Arnoldsche Art Publishers; Houston: In association with The Museum of Fine Arts, Augustinermuseum, Städtische Museen Freiburg, Palais de Compiegne, 2015.

  ISBN 9783897904484

• Burlion Emmanuel, Franz Xaver et Hermann Winterhalter , Metropolis, 2016, 175 pages.ISBN 978-2-9523754-3-6
• Barilo von Reisberg, Eugene Arnold : Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805–1873): portraiture in the launch of social change, School grounding Culture and Communication, 2016, [1]

External links