Anton Raphael Mengs
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| - | :''[[William Coxe]]'' | + | '''Anton Raphael Mengs''' (March 12, 1728 – June 29, 1779) was a German painter, active in Rome, Madrid, and Saxony, who became one of the precursors to [[Neoclassicism|Neoclassical]] painting. |
| - | :"Philippe's son [[Louis d'Orléans, Duke of Orléans|Louis]], religious and somewhat neurotic, attacked with a knife one of the most famous works, [[Correggio]]'s ''[[Leda and the Swan (Correggio)|Leda and the Swan]]'', now in Berlin, and ordered the painter [[Charles-Antoine Coypel]] to cut up all three of the great Correggio mythological works in the presence of his chaplain, which Coypel did, but saving and repairing the pieces. The ''Leda'' went to [[Frederick the Great]] of [[Prussia]], the ''[[Danäe (Correggio)|Danäe]]'' to Venice, where it was stolen and eventually sold to the English consul at [[Livorno|Leghorn]], and ''[[Jupiter and Io]]'' went to the Imperial collection in Vienna." | + | |
| - | During the suspension of his works | + | == Biography == |
| - | at the cathedral, Correggio received | + | Mengs was born in [[1728]] at [[Ústí nad Labem]] ({{lang-de|Aussig}}) in [[Bohemia]] on 12 March 1728; he died in [[Rome]] 29 June 1779. His father, [[Ismael Mengs]], a [[Denmark|Danish]] painter, established himself finally at [[Dresden]], whence in 1741 he took his son to Rome. |
| - | a commission, which indicates the | + | |
| - | high reputation he then enjoyed in | + | |
| - | Lombardy. | + | |
| - | Frederic, the second Duke of Man- | + | In Rome, his fresco painting of ''Parnassus'' at [[Villa Albani]] gained him a reputation as a master painter. The appointment of Mengs in 1749 as first painter to [[Frederick Augustus II of Poland|Frederick Augustus]], elector of Saxony did not prevent his spending much time in [[Rome]], where he had married Margarita Quazzi who had sat for him as a model in 1748, and abjured the [[Protestantism|Protestant]] faith, and where he became in 1754 director of the [[Vatican City|Vatican]] school of painting, nor did this hinder him on two occasions from obeying the call of [[Charles III of Spain]] to [[Madrid]]. There Mengs produced some of his best work, and specially the ceiling of the banqueting-hall of the [[Royal Palace of Madrid]], the subject of which was the ''Triumph of [[Trajan]]'' and the ''Temple of Glory''. Among his pupils there was [[Agustín Esteve]]. After the completion of this work in 1777, Mengs returned to Rome, and there he died, two years later, in poor circumstances, leaving twenty children, seven of whom were pensioned by the king of Spain. His portraits and autoportraits recall an attention to detail and insight, often lost from the grand manner paintings. |
| - | tua, desirous of presenting the Em- | + | |
| - | peror Charles the Fifth with two ex- | + | |
| - | cellent pictures, selected Correggio to | + | |
| - | paint them. 11 The subjects, according | + | |
| - | to Vasari, were Leda and Venus ; but | + | |
| - | according to [[Anton Raphael Mengs|Mengs]] and [[Carlo Giuseppe Ratti |Ratti]], with | + | |
| - | more probability, Leda and Dana*. | + | |
| - | They were said to be so well executed, | + | |
| - | that Julio Romano, who was at the | + | |
| - | court of Mantua, declared he neu-r | + | |
| - | -a\v such excellent colouring. A cu- | + | |
| - | rious anecdote is recorded of their | + | |
| - | subsequent fate. Being sent by tlu- | + | |
| - | Emperor to Prague, they were after- | + | |
| - | wards taken by the Swedes at the | + | |
| - | sack of that city, and conveyed to | + | |
| - | Stockholm, by order of Gustavus | + | |
| - | Adolphus. On his death, being neg- | + | |
| - | lected, they were discovered in the | + | |
| - | reign of Christina, degraded to the | + | |
| - | purpose of window-shutters in a | + | |
| - | stable, by Bourdon, a French painter, | + | |
| - | whom she patronized. They were | + | |
| - | repaired by her order, conveyed to | + | |
| - | Rome, and after her decease, came | + | |
| - | into the possession of Don Livio | + | |
| - | Odescalchi, Duke of Bracciano,* by | + | |
| - | whose heirs they were sold to the | + | |
| - | Regent, Duke of Orleans; but by | + | |
| - | the order of his son, who was shocked | + | |
| - | at the nudity of the figures, the pic- | + | |
| - | tures were cut in pieces. A similar | + | |
| - | fate, according to Mengs, happened | + | |
| - | to the lo, ascribed also to Correggio, | + | |
| - | which was in the same collection, | + | |
| - | and probably obtained in the same | + | |
| - | manner from the heirs of the Duke | + | |
| - | of Bracciano; for the Duke of Or- | + | |
| - | leans himself cut out the head, and | + | |
| - | burnt it. Coypel, a French painter, | + | |
| - | afterwards collected the remnants of | + | |
| - | the piece which were not destroyed, | + | |
| - | and to which a new head was added | + | |
| - | by another artist; and the picture | + | |
| - | sold to the King of Prussia for a great | + | |
| - | price, and placed in the Gallery of | + | |
| - | Sans Souci. A Danae, supposed to be | + | |
| - | painted by Correggio, was preserved in | + | |
| - | the Orleans collection, as acquired | + | |
| - | from the heirs of Christina. It was | + | |
| - | purchased by Mr. Hope, and is now | + | |
| - | said to be at Paris. -- "[[Sketches of the lives of Correggio, and Parmegiano]]" | + | |
| + | Besides numerous paintings in the Madrid gallery, the ''Ascension'' and ''St Joseph'' at Dresden, ''Perseus and Andromeda'' at [[Saint Petersburg]], and the ceiling of the Villa Albani must be mentioned among his chief works. In [[1911]], [[Henry George Percy, 7th Duke of Northumberland]], possessed a ''Holy Family'', and the colleges of [[All Souls College, Oxford|All Souls]] and [[Magdalen College, Oxford|Magdalen]], at [[University of Oxford|Oxford]], possessed altar-pieces by Mengs's hand. | ||
| + | |||
| + | In his writings, in [[Spanish language|Spanish]], [[Italian language|Italian]] and [[German language|German]], Mengs has put forth his eclectic theory of art, which treats of perfection as attainable by a well-schemed combination of diverse excellences Greek design, with the expression of [[Raffaello Santi|Raphael]], the [[chiaroscuro]] of [[Antonio da Correggio|Correggio]], and the colour of [[Titian]]. He would have fancied himself the first neoclassicist, while in fact he may be the last flicker of Baroque art. Or in the words of Wittkower, ''In the last analysis, he is as much an end as a beginning''<ref>[Wittkower, p 469]</ref>. | ||
| + | |||
| + | His intimacy with [[Johann Joachim Winckelmann]],<ref>[http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/search.html Portratit of Winckelmann]</ref> who constantly wrote at his dictation, has enhanced his historical importance, for he formed no scholars, and the critic must now concur in [[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe|Goethe]]'s judgment of Mengs in ''Winckelmann und sein Jahrhundert''; he must deplore that ''so much learning should have been allied to a total want of initiative and poverty of invention, and embodied with a strained and artificial mannerism''. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Mengs was famous for his rivalry with the contemporary Italian painter [[Pompeo Batoni]]. | ||
| + | |||
| + | He was buried in the Roman [[Church of Santi Michele e Magno]]. | ||
| + | == Selected works == | ||
| + | * ''Ascension'' (Dresden, Court Church), 1751/1766 | ||
| + | * ''St Joseph'' (Dresden, Court Church), 1751/1766 | ||
| + | * ''Charles III'' (Madrid, Museo del Prado), 1761 | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Publications== | ||
| + | |||
| + | * [[Karl Woermann|Woermann]], ''Ismael und Raphael Mengs'' (Leipzig, 1893) | ||
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Revision as of 00:31, 31 December 2009
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Anton Raphael Mengs (March 12, 1728 – June 29, 1779) 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 (Template:Lang-de) in Bohemia on 12 March 1728; he died in Rome 29 June 1779. His father, Ismael Mengs, a Danish painter, established himself finally at Dresden, whence in 1741 he took his son to Rome.
In Rome, his fresco painting of Parnassus at Villa Albani gained him a reputation as a master painter. The appointment of Mengs in 1749 as first painter to Frederick Augustus, elector of Saxony did not prevent his spending much time in Rome, where he had married Margarita Quazzi who had sat for him as a model in 1748, and abjured the Protestant faith, and where he became in 1754 director of the Vatican school of painting, nor did this hinder him on two occasions from obeying the call of Charles III of Spain to Madrid. There Mengs produced some of his best work, and specially the ceiling of the banqueting-hall of the Royal Palace of Madrid, the subject of which was the Triumph of Trajan and the Temple of Glory. Among his pupils there was Agustín Esteve. After the completion of this work in 1777, Mengs returned to Rome, and there he died, two years later, in poor circumstances, leaving twenty children, seven of whom were pensioned by the king of Spain. His portraits and autoportraits recall an attention to detail and insight, often lost from the grand manner paintings.
Besides numerous paintings in the Madrid gallery, the Ascension and St Joseph at Dresden, Perseus and Andromeda at Saint Petersburg, and the ceiling of the Villa Albani must be mentioned among his chief works. In 1911, Henry George Percy, 7th Duke of Northumberland, possessed a Holy Family, and the colleges of All Souls and Magdalen, at Oxford, possessed altar-pieces by Mengs's hand.
In his writings, in Spanish, Italian and German, Mengs has put forth his eclectic theory of art, which treats of perfection as attainable by a well-schemed combination of diverse excellences Greek design, with the expression of Raphael, the chiaroscuro of Correggio, and the colour of Titian. He would have fancied himself the first neoclassicist, while in fact he may be the last flicker of Baroque art. Or in the words of Wittkower, In the last analysis, he is as much an end as a beginning<ref>[Wittkower, p 469]</ref>.
His intimacy with Johann Joachim Winckelmann,<ref>Portratit of Winckelmann</ref> who constantly wrote at his dictation, has enhanced his historical importance, for he formed no scholars, and the critic must now concur in Goethe's judgment of Mengs in Winckelmann und sein Jahrhundert; he must deplore that so much learning should have been allied to a total want of initiative and poverty of invention, and embodied with a strained and artificial mannerism.
Mengs was famous for his rivalry with the contemporary Italian painter Pompeo Batoni.
He was buried in the Roman Church of Santi Michele e Magno.
Selected works
- Ascension (Dresden, Court Church), 1751/1766
- St Joseph (Dresden, Court Church), 1751/1766
- Charles III (Madrid, Museo del Prado), 1761
Publications
- Woermann, Ismael und Raphael Mengs (Leipzig, 1893)
