Friedrich Rehberg
Encyclopedia
Friedrich Rehberg was a German
portrait
and historical
painter.
in 1758, the son of a secretary for the estates of Calenberg
(one of the duchies of Hannover
). His elder brother, August Wilhelm Rehberg (1757-1836), became a notable politician, philosopher and writer. Friedrich, himself, studied first with Oeser
in Leipzig
, then with Giovanni Battista Casanova
and Johann Eleazar Zeissig
, in Dresden
. In 1777, he went to Rome
, where he studied the old masters
, such as Caracci
, Domenichino and Michelangelo
, under Anton Raphael Mengs
. Here he became a close friend of fellow-painter David
.
In 1783 he returned to Hanover, where his reputation was now well-established, and received many commissions to paint portraits, including those of the Duke Wilhelm and the Bishop of Osnabrück. In 1784 he became drawing master at the Philanthropinum
, a progressive school in Dessau
where he taught art to the crown prince, Frederick
. In 1786, he was made a fellow at the Berlin Academy of Art
, becoming professor in 1787. He then returned to Rome to manage the Prussian art academy which was to be built there. For political reasons, this project never materialised but Rehberg remained in the city. There he painted "Belisarius", "Oedipus and Antigone", "The Death of Abel", "Bacchus", "Orpheus and Eurydice" and "Jupiter and Venus".
In 1791 he went to Naples
and made a series of drawings of Lady Hamilton posing as classical statuary, which were published in book form in 1794. In 1813 he went to London
, England, and, in 1814, painted an allegory of Napoleon's fall. In the same year he returned for a time to Rome, but eventually settled at Munich
, where he published, in 1824, "Raffael Sanzio von Urbino": the Elements of Lithographic Drawing" ("Anfangs gründe des Steinzeichners'), with thirteen of his own lithographs.
Rehberg died in Munich on the 20th August 1835.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
portrait
Portrait painting
Portrait painting is a genre in painting, where the intent is to depict the visual appearance of the subject. Beside human beings, animals, pets and even inanimate objects can be chosen as the subject for a portrait...
and historical
History painting
History painting is a genre in painting defined by subject matter rather than an artistic style, depicting a moment in a narrative story, rather than a static subject such as a portrait...
painter.
Life and work
Rehberg was born into a middle-class protestant family in HanoverHanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
in 1758, the son of a secretary for the estates of Calenberg
Calenberg
The Principality of Calenberg was a dynastic division of the Welf duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg in the Holy Roman Empire from 1494 until 1705, when Elector George I Louis, Prince of Calenberg, inherited the Principality of Lüneburg to form the state of Hanover....
(one of the duchies of Hannover
Kingdom of Hanover
The Kingdom of Hanover was established in October 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic era. It succeeded the former Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg , and joined with 38 other sovereign states in the German...
). His elder brother, August Wilhelm Rehberg (1757-1836), became a notable politician, philosopher and writer. Friedrich, himself, studied first with Oeser
Adam Friedrich Oeser
Adam Friedrich Oeser was a German etcher, painter and sculptor.- Biography :Oeser worked and studied in Pressburg and Vienna at the Vienna Academy...
in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, then with Giovanni Battista Casanova
Giovanni Battista Casanova
Giovanni Battista Casanova was an Italian painter and printmaker of the Neoclassic period. He was a brother of Giacomo Casanova and Francesco Giuseppe Casanova and was born at Venice...
and Johann Eleazar Zeissig
Johann Eleazar Zeissig
Johann Eleazar Zeissig, also known as Schenau , was a German genre, portrait and porcelain painter, and engraver; director of the Royal Academy of Arts in Dresden.-Life:...
, in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
. In 1777, he went to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, where he studied the old masters
Old Master
"Old Master" is a term for a European painter of skill who worked before about 1800, or a painting by such an artist. An "old master print" is an original print made by an artist in the same period...
, such as Caracci
Annibale Carracci
Annibale Carracci was an Italian Baroque painter.-Early career:Annibale Carracci was born in Bologna, and in all likelihood first apprenticed within his family...
, Domenichino and Michelangelo
Michelangelo
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni , commonly known as Michelangelo, was an Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer who exerted an unparalleled influence on the development of Western art...
, under Anton Raphael Mengs
Anton Raphael Mengs
Anton Raphael Mengs was a German painter, active in Rome, Madrid and Saxony, who became one of the precursors to Neoclassical painting.- Biography :Mengs was born in 1728 at Ústí nad Labem in Bohemia...
. Here he became a close friend of fellow-painter David
Jacques-Louis David
Jacques-Louis David was an influential French painter in the Neoclassical style, considered to be the preeminent painter of the era...
.
In 1783 he returned to Hanover, where his reputation was now well-established, and received many commissions to paint portraits, including those of the Duke Wilhelm and the Bishop of Osnabrück. In 1784 he became drawing master at the Philanthropinum
Philanthropinum
The Philanthropinum was a reformist, progressive school in Dessau, Germany from 1774–93.-History:...
, a progressive school in Dessau
Dessau
Dessau is a town in Germany on the junction of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt. Since 1 July 2007, it is part of the merged town Dessau-Roßlau. Population of Dessau proper: 77,973 .-Geography:...
where he taught art to the crown prince, Frederick
Frederick, Hereditary Prince of Anhalt-Dessau
Frederick of Anhalt-Dessau , was a German prince of the House of Ascania and heir to the principality of Anhalt-Dessau....
. In 1786, he was made a fellow at the Berlin Academy of Art
Prussian Academy of Arts
The Prussian Academy of Arts was an art school set up in Berlin, Brandenburg, in 1694/1696 by prince-elector Frederick III, in personal union Duke Frederick I of Prussia, and later king in Prussia. It had a decisive influence on art and its development in the German-speaking world throughout its...
, becoming professor in 1787. He then returned to Rome to manage the Prussian art academy which was to be built there. For political reasons, this project never materialised but Rehberg remained in the city. There he painted "Belisarius", "Oedipus and Antigone", "The Death of Abel", "Bacchus", "Orpheus and Eurydice" and "Jupiter and Venus".
In 1791 he went to Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
and made a series of drawings of Lady Hamilton posing as classical statuary, which were published in book form in 1794. In 1813 he went to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England, and, in 1814, painted an allegory of Napoleon's fall. In the same year he returned for a time to Rome, but eventually settled at Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, where he published, in 1824, "Raffael Sanzio von Urbino": the Elements of Lithographic Drawing" ("Anfangs gründe des Steinzeichners'), with thirteen of his own lithographs.
Rehberg died in Munich on the 20th August 1835.
Further reading
- Andreas Andresen, Josef Eduard Wessely. Die Deutschen Maler-Radirer, des neunzehnten Jahrhunderts, nach ihren Leben und Werken (Leipzig: 1866). German text.
External links
- Biography of Rehberg (Neue Deutsche Biographie)
- Friedrich Rehberg biography (Answers.com, 25 Feb 2011)
- F. Rehberg on Artnet
- Portraits by F. Rehberg (National Portrait Gallery, London)
- Venus consoling Cupid stung by a Bee (Christie'sChristie'sChristie's is an art business and a fine arts auction house.- History :The official company literature states that founder James Christie conducted the first sale in London, England, on 5 December 1766, and the earliest auction catalogue the company retains is from December 1766...
)