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Portrait of Joachim Winckelmann

Johann Georg Wille

Basic information

ID: Ж-431
Author: Johann Georg Wille
Name: Portrait of Joachim Winckelmann
Technique: oil painting
Material: canvas oil
Dimensions (height x width, cm): 33.6 x 28.5

Additionally

Type: painting
Genre: portraiture
Plot: Portrait
Exposition: Potocki Palace

Information about author

Author: Johann Georg Wille
Artist's lifetime: 1715–1808
Country: Germany
Biography: Johann Georg Wille (1715–1808) was a German engraver. He spent most of his life in France. He showed an early interest in art. He painted birds and his classmates and copied illustrations from his father's Bible. Initially, he studied mathematics in Giessen, intending to enter university, but his interest in art prevailed. He apprenticed with a local portrait painter, then learned to engrave and worked with a gunsmith. Eventually, the artist was admitted to the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture. From 1742, he worked under the engraver Jean Dolle. In 1747, he married Marie Louise Deforge. Their son, Pierre-Alexandre, became a genre painter. Many renowned painters entrusted Johann Wille with the creation of engravings of their portraits, and he was eventually appointed "Engraver to the King". From 1753, he headed the engraving school. In 1761, he became a member of the Academy. The artist also created engravings for the courts of Denmark and the Holy Roman Empire. Although Johann Wille had an exceptional art collection, he lost most of his possessions during the French Revolution. In 1793, the artist lost his hearing and later became blind.

Object description

The painting depicts a young man seated at a table, turned toward the viewer. Before us is a young art scholar, theorist of Classicism, and historian, Joachim Winckelmann. He was a German art historian and antiquarian, the founder of modern concepts of ancient art and archaeology. Born into a poor family, he was nevertheless allowed to attend a gymnasium in Berlin, from which he graduated in 1736. Two years later, he was awarded a scholarship to study theology at the University of Halle, where he primarily focused on ancient literature. After graduating from the university in 1740, he worked as a private tutor for quite some time. From 1741, he studied medicine, and between 1743 and 1748, he worked at a school near Berlin, where he taught Hebrew and Greek, as well as geometry, logic, and Latin. Later, he worked as a librarian near Dresden, allowing him to view and study the artistic treasures collected there. After visiting Naples, Herculaneum and Pompeii in 1758, Joachim published his major work, "The History of the Art of Antiquity". From 1763, he served as the chief antiquarian and "President of Antiquities" at the Vatican. The artist depicted him as a young scholar, surrounded by the attributes of learning – notes and an inkwell.

Portrayed person