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Christoph Bernhard Francke, also known as Bernhard Christoph Francken (c. 1660-1670 in
Christoph Bernhard Francke, also known as Bernhard Christoph Francken (c. 1660-1670 in Hanover
Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...
– 18 January 1729 in Braunschweig
Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( , from Low German ''Brunswiek'' , Braunschweig dialect: ''Bronswiek'') is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the ...
) was a German military officer and painter in the Baroque style.
Biography
Little is known about his early life. He apparently received his artistic training in Italy. In 1693, he became aLeutnant
() is the lowest Junior officer rank in the armed forces the German-speaking of Germany (Bundeswehr), Austrian Armed Forces, and military of Switzerland.
History
The German noun (with the meaning "" (in English "deputy") from Middle High Ge ...
in the service of Duke Rudolf Augustus of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel, but appears to have served primarily as a court painter
A court painter was an artist who painted for the members of a royal or princely family, sometimes on a fixed salary and on an exclusive basis where the artist was not supposed to undertake other work. Painters were the most common, but the cour ...
. His only known military activity came during a campaign against Hanover
Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...
in 1702.
In 1699, he married Agnesa Duve (1680−1727), daughter of Achatius Duve (1644−1698), pastor of the Aegidienkirche. In 1700, Rosine Elisabeth Menthe
Rosine Elisabeth Menthe (nicknamed: ''Madame Rudolphine''; 17 May 1663, in Brunswick – 20 May 1701, in Brunswick, Germany), was married morganatically with Duke Rudolph Augustus of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (1627–1704), Duke of Brunswick-Lü ...
, the Duke's morganatic
Morganatic marriage, sometimes called a left-handed marriage, is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which in the context of royalty or other inherited title prevents the principal's position or privileges being passed to the spous ...
wife, became their first child's godmother. In 1715, the new Duke, Augustus William became godfather to their son. That same year, he received an official appointment as "Fürstlichen Kunst- und Porträtmaler".
His surviving portraits almost all depict members of the ruling family in Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel and their relatives. A portrait of the Tsarevich Alexei
Grand Duke Alexei Petrovich of Russia (28 February 1690 – 26 June 1718) was a Russian Tsarevich. He was born in Moscow, the son of Tsar Peter I and his first wife, Eudoxia Lopukhina. Alexei despised his father and repeatedly thwarted Peter's p ...
, who had married Princess Charlotte Princess Charlotte may refer to:
People
* Charlotte Christine of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1694–1715), wife of Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich of Russia and mother of Tsar Peter II, Emperor of Russia
* Charlotte Aglaé d'Orléans (1700–1761), wife of ...
, is one of his few portrayals of people outside the direct family lineage. His best-known painting, however, is of the philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
Gottfried Wilhelm (von) Leibniz . ( – 14 November 1716) was a German polymath active as a mathematician, philosopher, scientist and diplomat. He is one of the most prominent figures in both the history of philosophy and the history of math ...
, who was attached to the court in Braunschweig. It is currently in the Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum
The Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum (HAUM) is an art museum in the German city of Braunschweig, Lower Saxony. History
Founded in 1754, the Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum is one of the oldest museums in Europe. The museum has its origins in the art and nat ...
.
Further reading
* Paul Jonas Meier: "Bernhard Christoph Francken. Ein braunschweigischer Bildnismaler im 1. Drittel des 18. Jahrhunderts". In: ''Jahrbuch des Geschichtsvereins für das Herzogtum Braunschweig.'' Julius Zwissler, Wolfenbüttel, 1916References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Francke, Christoph Bernhard 17th-century births 1729 deaths German male painters German portrait painters Artists from Hanover