Theodor Friedrich Wilhelm Christian Kaulbach (8 July 1822 – 17 September 1903) was a German painter from

Bad Arolsen Bad Arolsen (, until 1997 Arolsen, ''Bad'' being the German name for ''Spa'') is a small town in northern Hesse, Germany, in Waldeck-Frankenberg district. From 1655 until 1918 it served as the residence town of the Princes of Waldeck-Pyrmont and ...

, Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont. His father was Christian Kaulbach (1777–1847), a cabinet maker in Arolsen. He was also the cousin and at one time the student of the painter

Wilhelm von Kaulbach Wilhelm von Kaulbach (15 October 18057 April 1874) was a German painter, noted mainly as a muralist, but also as a book illustrator. His murals decorate buildings in Munich. He is associated with the Düsseldorf school of painting. Biography E ...

, son of Philipp Karl Friedrich v. Kaulbach (1775–1846), goldsmith and amateur painter.

Early years

Friedrich Kaulbach - Krönung Karls des Großen

After a visit to

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

in 1844, he and his uncle parted ways. He painted independently until 1848, when he executed the painting ''

Adam and Eve Adam and Eve, according to the creation myth of the Abrahamic religions, were the first man and woman. They are central to the belief that humanity is in essence a single family, with everyone descended from a single pair of original ancestors. ...

beside the body of Abel.'' This led to a call to a professorship at the

Academy of Fine Arts, Munich The Academy of Fine Arts, Munich (german: Akademie der Bildenden Künste München, also known as Munich Academy) is one of the oldest and most significant art academies in Germany. It is located in the Maxvorstadt district of Munich, in Bavaria, ...

, which he declined. In 1850 he traveled to Paris, where he produced historical paintings, and supported himself through portraiture. In 1850,

Maximilian II of Bavaria Maximilian II (28 November 1811 – 10 March 1864) reigned as King of Bavaria between 1848 and 1864. Unlike his father, King Ludwig I, "King Max" was very popular and took a greater interest in the business of Government than in personal extr ...

commissioned him to paint the Coronation of

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first ...

for the Museum

Maximilianeum The Maximilianeum, a palatial building in Munich, was built as the home of a gifted students' foundation but since 1949 has housed the Bavarian State Parliament. It sits grandly and as a focal point on the bank of the Isar River above Maximilian ...

. The picture was completed in 1861.

Establishment as court painter in Hanover

Friedrich Kaulbach Dame beim Schmuckanlegen

Kaulbach served as the court painter to

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Qu ...

, whom he repeatedly portrayed, where he was a favorite portrait painter of the local nobility. While he was the

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 ...

to Hanover, he received a professorship at the

Technical University An institute of technology (also referred to as: technological university, technical university, university of technology, technological educational institute, technical college, polytechnic university or just polytechnic) is an institution of te ...

. Among other benefits, the king gave him his own studio and residential building, designed by the architect

Christian Heinrich Tramm Christian Heinrich Tramm (8 May 1819, Hamburg – 3 September 1861, Hanover)Helmut Knocke, Hugo Thielen (Hrsg.): ''Hannover / Kunst- und Kultur-Lexikon / Handbuch und Stadtführer.'' 4., aktualisierte und erweiterte Auflage, zu Klampen Verlag, Spr ...

(1857–60) on Waterloo Street in Hanover. The house today is part of the Waterloo Beergarden. In her memoirs, his daughter described the visitors to the family home, who included Johannes Brahms,

Clara Schumann Clara Josephine Schumann (; née Wieck; 13 September 1819 – 20 May 1896) was a German pianist, composer, and piano teacher. Regarded as one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic era, she exerted her influence over the course of a ...

, Franz Liszt,

Joseph Joachim Joseph Joachim (28 June 1831 – 15 August 1907) was a Hungarian violinist, conductor, composer and teacher who made an international career, based in Hanover and Berlin. A close collaborator of Johannes Brahms, he is widely regarded as one of t ...

, Ernst von Wildenbruch and

Anton Rubinstein Anton Grigoryevich Rubinstein ( rus, Антон Григорьевич Рубинштейн, r=Anton Grigor'evič Rubinštejn; ) was a Russian pianist, composer and conductor who became a pivotal figure in Russian culture when he founded the Sa ...

. His numerous portraits, such as those of Empress Elisabeth, Crown Prince Albrecht, and the Count and Countess Stolberg, are extraordinarily detailed, even luminescent. His best women's portraits enhanced his reputation. Kaulbach received the Gold Medal from the Berlin Art Academy at the

1873 Vienna World's Fair ) , building = Rotunda , area = 233 Ha , invent = , visitors = 7,255,000 , organized = , cnt = , org = , biz = , country = Austria-Hungary , city ...

. Friedrich Kaulbach's grave may be found at the in Hanover. Kaulbach's sons, Friedrich August,

Anton Anton may refer to: People *Anton (given name), including a list of people with the given name *Anton (surname) Places *Anton Municipality, Bulgaria **Anton, Sofia Province, a village *Antón District, Panama **Antón, a town and capital of th ...

and Sigmund (1854-1894) were also painters.

Prominent works

*''Adam and Eve by Abel's Body'' (1848, Museum für Bildende Künste, Leipzig) *''Elisabeth Nay'' (1860; Niedersächsisches Landesmuseum) *''Coronation of Charlemagne'' (1861, Maximilaneum, München) *''Juliet Capulet’s Wedding Morning'' (1862–1903; Niedersächsisches Landesmuseum, Hannover) *''Blind King George V'' (c. 1866; Hannover, Niedersachs. Landesmuseum)

References

*Isidore Kaulbach, ''Friedrich Kaulbach. Memories of my father's home''. Berlin: 1931. *Henning Rischbieter: Hannoversches Lesebuch or: What in Hanover, and Hanover written, printed and read the paper. Volume 2: 1850-1950. 2nd Ed Hanover: Schlueter 1991, p. 102-105 (with excerpts from Isidore Kaulbachs memories). *

Hugo Thielen Hugo Thielen (born 1946) is a German freelance author and editor, who is focused on the history of Hanover, the capital of Lower Saxony, in a lexicon of the city, another one especially of its art and culture, and a third of biographies. He co-au ...

, Hannoverian biographical dictionary. From its beginnings to the present day. Hanover: Schlueter 2002, p. 195.

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaulbach, Friedrich 1822 births 1903 deaths People from Bad Arolsen People from the Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont 19th-century German painters 19th-century German male artists German male painters Court painters Munich School Von Kaulbach family