Hans Adam Weissenkircher (10 February 1646 – 16 January 1695) was an Austrian

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

painter and

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 ...

of the Prince Johann Seyfried von Eggenberg in Graz.

Biography

Weissenkircher was born in Laufen an der Salzach, which today lies on the

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

n side of the

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

n -

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

border, into the family of a

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the ...

artist. Like his fellow Laufen born contemporary,

Johann Michael Rottmayr Johann Michael Rottmayr (11 December 1656 – 25 October 1730) was an Austrian painter. Biography Rottmayr was born in Laufen an der Salzach, Bavaria. Along with his Laufen-born contemporary, Hans Adam Weissenkircher, he received his edu ...

, he trained under the painter

Johann Carl Loth Johann Carl Loth (Baptized 8 August 1632 – 6 October 1698) was a German Baroque painter who spent most of his life in Venice. His name is also rendered as Johann Karl, Karel and, in Italy, Carlotto or Carlo Lotti.Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

and ran an academy for German-speaking painters in

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

. Weissenkircher adopted much from Michelangelo Caravaggio's painting style. He traveled extensively during his studies, including to the important art and cultural centers of

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

and

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...

. He finally settled in

Styria Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styria is the second largest state of Austria, after Lower Austria. Styria is bordered to ...

where he brought the style of the

Italian Renaissance The Italian Renaissance ( it, Rinascimento ) was a period in Italian history covering the 15th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Europe and marked the trans ...

north to the court of the Princes of Eggenberg as court painter. He is responsible for numerous, well known works, most importantly the ceiling and wall paintings of the Planetary Room in Schloss Eggenberg which took 8 years from 1678 to 1685 to complete. Additionally, he was responsible for numerous paintings, altar paintings and high altars throughout Styria. He died in

Graz Graz (; sl, Gradec) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. As of 1 January 2021, it had a population of 331,562 (294,236 of whom had principal-residence status). In 2018, the popul ...

Selected works

;Paintings * Planetary Room in

Schloss Eggenberg (Graz) Eggenberg Palace (german: link=no, Schloss Eggenberg) in Graz, is the most significant Baroque palace complex in the Austrian province of Styria. With its preserved accouterments, the extensive scenic gardens, as well as some special collec ...

*''Mary Immaculate'' in Graz Vierzehn-Nothelfer-Kirche *''St. Paul'' in Graz in the Joanneum's Alte Galerie in

Schloss Eggenberg Eggenberg Palace (german: link=no, Schloss Eggenberg) in Graz, is the most significant Baroque palace complex in the Austrian province of Styria. With its preserved accouterments, the extensive scenic gardens, as well as some special collectio ...

*''Elijah Raises the Son of the Widow of Zarephath'' in Graz in the Joanneum's Alte Galerie in

;Altar Paintings *''Mary Magdalene'' in the Pfarrkirche St. Magdalena (Wildon) *''Holy Trinity'' in the Graz Karlauerkirche *''The Annuciation'' in the Graz Grabenkirche *''The Circumcision of Christ'' in the Kirche St. Andrä (Graz) *Altar painting in the Kirche Maria im Elend zu Straßgang *Altar painting in the Mausoleum Ehrenhausen ;High Altars * Pfarrkirche St. Veit (Graz)

Literature

*''Hans Adam Weissenkircher: Fürstlich Eggenbergischer Hofmaler''. By Barbara Ruck. Graz: Landesmuseum Joanneum, 1985. *''Schloss Eggenberg.'' By Barbara Kaiser. Graz: Christian Brandstätter Verlag, 2006. (English Edition) or (German Edition) 17th-century Austrian painters Austrian male painters Baroque painters Court painters 1646 births 1695 deaths People from Berchtesgadener Land {{Austria-painter-stub