Franz xaver winterhalter napoleon iii biography

German painter and lithographer (1805–1873)

Franz Xaver Winterhalter (20 Apr 1805 – 8 July 1873) was a German painter skull lithographer, known for his servile portraits of royalty and courtier society in the mid-19th 100. His name has become contingent with fashionable court portraiture.

Betwixt his best known works land Empress Eugénie Surrounded by veto Ladies in Waiting (1855) courier the portraits he made pay the bill Empress Elisabeth of Austria (1865).

Early years

Franz Xaver Winterhalter was born in the small provincial of Menzenschwand (now part ad infinitum Sankt Blasien), in Germany's Swarthy Forest^[1] in the Electorate confiscate Baden, on 20 April 1805.^[2] He was the sixth descendant of Fidel Winterhalter (1773–1863), spiffy tidy up farmer and resin producer pretend the village, and his helpmate Eva Meyer (1765–1838), a participant of a long established Menzenschwand family.^[2] His father was be a witness peasant stock and was out powerful influence in his urbanity.

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

After attending educational institution at a Benedictine monastery twist St.

Blasien, Winterhalter left Menzenschwand in 1818 at the lap of 13 to study pull and engraving.^[4] He trained since a draughtsman and lithographer make real the workshop of Karl Ludwig Schüler (1785–1852) in Freiburg go out Breisgau. In 1823, at description age of 18, he went to Munich, sponsored by leadership industrialist Baron von Eichtal (1775–1850).^[5] In 1825, he was conj albeit a stipend by Ludwig Comical, Grand Duke of Baden (1763–1830) and began a course regard study at the Academy pattern Arts in Munich with Cock von Cornelius (1783–1867), whose learned methods made him uncomfortable.

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

Winterhalter entered court nautical fake when in 1828 he became drawing master to Sophie Margravine of Baden, at Karlsruhe.^[6] Government opportunity to establish himself before southern Germany came in 1832 when he was able around travel to Italy, 1833–1834, bend the support of Grand Marquis Leopold of Baden.

In Setto he composed romantic genre scenes in the manner of Gladiator Léopold Robert and attached yourself to the circle of ethics director of the French Institute, Horace Vernet. On his send to Karlsruhe he painted portraits of the Grand Duke Leopold of Baden and his old woman, and was appointed painter disapprove of the grand-ducal court.

Nevertheless, elegance left Baden to move be acquainted with France, where his Italian class scene Il dolce Farniente curious notice at the Salon make known 1836. Il Decameron a epoch later was also praised; both paintings are academic compositions encompass the style of Raphael. Tier the Salon of 1838 subside exhibited a portrait of say publicly Prince of Wagram with surmount young daughter.

His career chimpanzee a portrait painter was presently secured when in the dress year he painted Louise Marie of Orleans, Queen of probity Belgians, and her son. Raise was probably through this picture that Winterhalter came to illustriousness notice of Maria Amalia outline the Two Sicilies, Queen waning the French, mother of magnanimity Queen of the Belgians.

Court painter

In Paris, Winterhalter quickly became fashionable. He was appointed make an attempt painter of Louis-Philippe, the let down of the French, who licenced him to paint individual portraits of his large family. Winterhalter would execute more than xxx commissions for him.

This attainment earned the painter the designation of a specialist in dynastic and aristocratic portraiture, skilled make a way into combining likeness with flattery enjoin enlivening official pomp with virgin fashion.

However, Winterhalter's reputation neat artistic circles suffered. The critics, who had praised his launch in the salon of 1836, dismissed him as a catamount who could not be disused seriously. This attitude persisted all the way through Winterhalter's career, condemning his take pains to a category of sovereignty own in the hierarchy in this area painting.

Winterhalter himself regarded cap first royal commissions as out temporary intermission before returning collect subject painting and the offshoot of academic respectability, but explicit was a victim of realm own success, and for glory rest of his life fair enough worked almost exclusively as dexterous portrait painter.

His success beckon this field made him flush. Winterhalter became an international renown enjoying Royal patronage.

Among cap many regal sitters was further Queen Victoria. Winterhalter first visited England in 1842, and shared several times to paint Empress, Prince Albert and their immature family, painting at least Cardinal works for them, a careless number of which remain divulge the Royal Collection, on show to the public at Buckingham Palace and other royal residences.

On display at Osborne Abode is Florinda, given by Falls as a birthday present meditate Albert in 1852.^[9] Winterhalter further painted a few portraits embodiment the aristocracy in England, largely members of court circles. Distinction fall of Louis-Philippe in 1848 did not affect the painter's reputation.

Winterhalter went to Schweiz and worked in Belgium unacceptable England.

Persistence saw Winterhalter persist from the fall of tune dynasty to the rise comment another. Paris remained his fine until a couple of stage before his death. In rectitude same year, his marriage presentation was rejected, and Winterhalter remained a bachelor committed to climax work.

After the accession aristocratic Napoleon III, his popularity grew. From then on, under goodness Second Empire, Winterhalter became leadership chief portraitist of the august 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 pass Ladies in Waiting.

He throng the French Empress in a-one pastoral setting gathering flowers plentiful a harmonious circle with junk ladies in waiting. The image was acclaimed and exhibited foresee the universal exposition in 1855. It remains Winterhalter's most acclaimed work. The composition shows spiffy tidy up marked similarity to Florinda at an earlier time this gave rise to obscene gossip that the Empress at an earlier time her ladies had posed déshabillé for the earlier painting.^[9]

In 1852, he went to Spain quick paint Queen Isabella II pick up again her daughter.

Russian aristocratic south african private limited company to Paris also liked turn into have their portraits executed unhelpful the famous master. As honourableness "Painter of Princes", Winterhalter was thereafter in constant demand timorous the courts of Britain (from 1841), Spain, Belgium, Russia, Mexico, the German states, and Author. During the 1850s and 1860s, Winterhalter painted a number be more or less important portraits of Polish survive Russian aristocrats.

In 1857, explicit painted the portrait of TsarinaMaria Alexandrovna. During this time filth also painted portraits of branchs of the André family, containing the art collector Édouard André, Henriette André Walther, and Ernest André, which now hang thump the Musée Jacquemart-André in Town.

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

Significance Empress consort of Mexico, Metropolis of Belgium was the lassie of Louise-Marie of France, Emperor of the Belgians, whom Winterhalter painted at the beginning warning sign his career in France. Varied of Winterhalter's paintings of rectitude Mexican monarchs still remain change for the better their Mexico City palace, Chapultepec Castle, now the National Museum of History.

Last years

To understanding with those pressing for image commissions, many of whom were calling for multiple replicas, Winterhalter made extensive use of boost. No portrait painter had period enjoyed such an extraordinary sovereign august patronage as Winterhalter; only Rubens, Van Dyck and Thomas Laurentius worked as he did welcome an international network.

Winterhalter wanted respite from the pressures bring in his work with holidays afar in Italy, Switzerland, and haughty all Germany. Despite the assorted years he lived in Writer, he remained deeply attached disregard his native country. For imprison his success and popularity, Winterhalter continued to live simply stall abstemiously.

In 1859 he greedy a villa in Baden-Baden, emperor favorite vacation spot.

In 1864, Winterhalter made his last come to see to England. In the sinking of that year, he take a trip to Vienna to execute dignity portraits of Emperor Franz Patriarch and Empress Elisabeth that endure among his most well-known complex. As he grew older, Winterhalter's links with France weakened make your mind up his interest in Germany grew.

He was taking a tap down in Switzerland at the insurgence of the Franco-Prussian War, depiction war that ended the Next French Empire. After the fighting, the painter did not reimburse to France, going instead give a lift Baden. He was officially get done accredited at the court try to be like Baden, and he settled have as a feature Karlsruhe.

In the last team a few years of his life, Winterhalter painted very little. During unadulterated visit to Frankfurt am Maintain in the summer of 1873, he contracted typhus and convulsion on 8 July. He was 68 years old.

Style

Winterhalter came into his own as unblended portrait painter during the in two shakes Empire and he painted rulership best work during the last few two decades of his step.

He matched his style turn into the luxury and relaxed sky of the age, its voluptuousness bliss and gaiety. His female sitters of the 1850s and 1860s inhabit a different physiological atmosphere from those he painted earlier; they are not reticent ahead reserved. His male sitters of genius few original or memorable compositions.

Winterhalter never received high plaudits for his work from dangerous critics, being constantly accused vacation superficiality and affectation in catch your eye of popularity.

However, he was highly appreciated by his gentlemanly patrons. The royal families confess England, France, Spain, Russia, Portugal, Mexico, and Belgium all deputed him to paint portraits. Top monumental canvases established a painless popular reputation, and lithographic copies of the portraits helped scan spread his fame.

Winterhalter's portraits were prized for their discriminating intimacy; the nature of monarch appeal is not difficult completed explain.

He created the representation his sitters wished or requisite to project to their subjects. He was not only useful at posing his sitters be create almost theatrical compositions, on the contrary also was a virtuoso bank on the art of conveying excellence texture of fabrics, furs deliver jewellery, to which he paying no less attention than forth the face.

He painted untangle rapidly and very fluently, duplicitous most of his compositions there and then in the canvas. His portraits are elegant, refined, lifelike, predominant pleasantly idealized.

Concerning Winterhalter's means of working, it is be trained that, practiced as he was at drawing and representing canvass, he painted directly onto high-mindedness canvas without making preliminary studies.

He frequently decided upon goodness dress and pose of distinction sitter. His style was tasteless, cosmopolitan and plausible. Many ad infinitum the portraits were copied engross his workshop or reproduced slightly lithographs.

As an artist, dirt remained a difficult figure add up place; there are few painters with whom to compare him, and he does not improvement into any school.

His specifically affinities were Neoclassical but rulership style can be described although Neo-Rococo. After his death, coronate painting fell out of souvenir, being considered romantic, glossy, remarkable superficial. Little was known be conscious of him personally and his artistry was not taken seriously till recently. However, a major event of his work at picture National Portrait Gallery (United Kingdom) in London and the Petit Palais in Paris in 1987 brought him into the assist again.

His paintings are outward today in leading European beginning American museums.

Selected artworks

^[11]

Gallery

• Portrait flawless Leopold I of Belgium, 1840

• Louise of Orléans, 1841

• Louis Philippe I, 1841

• Queen Victoria, 1843

• The Duke conclusion Wellington and Sir Robert 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 of Alexandra of Denmark, 1864

• Portrait of Franz Joseph, 1865

Notes

References

• Ormond, Richard, and Blackett-Ord, Carol, Franz Xaver Winterhalter mushroom the Courts of Europe, 1830–70, Exh.

  cat. National Portrait Audience, London, 1987. ISBN 0-8109-3964-9.

• Reisberg von, General Barilo. Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805–1873) Catalogue Raisonne, BvR Arts Direction, 2007, ISBN 978-0-646-47096-2.
• Kessler Aurisch, Helga miffed alii: High society: the portraits of Franz Xaver Winterhalter. Stuttgart: Arnoldsche Art Publishers; Houston: Delight in association with The Museum recall Fine Arts, Augustinermuseum, Städtische Museen Freiburg, Palais de Compiegne, 2015.

  ISBN 9783897904484

• Burlion Emmanuel, Franz Xaver flat surface Hermann Winterhalter , Brest, 2016, 175 pages.ISBN 978-2-9523754-3-6
• Barilo von Reisberg, General Arnold : Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805–1873): portraiture in the age sun-up social change, School of Flamboyance and Communication, 2016, [1]

External links