Johann Daniel Preissler,Also spelled Preisler or Preißler. or Preisler (1666–1737) was a notable member of a German artistic family, originating in

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

. His children included Johann Justin Preissler (1698–1771), Georg Martin Preisler (1700–1754), Barbara Helena Preisler (1707–1758; married to Oeding),

Johan Martin Preisler Johan Martin Preisler (14 March 1715 in Nuremberg – 17 November 1794 in Copenhagen) was a German engraver, most notable for his work in Denmark where he was professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. He was the grandson of the pain ...

(1715–1794), and

Valentin Daniel Preisler Valentin Daniel Preisler or Preissler (18 April 1717 in Nuremberg – 8 April 1765 in Nurenberg) was a German engraver. Biography Valentin Daniel Preisler was the youngest son of the painter Johann Daniel Preisler and his wife Felicitas Riedner ...

(1717–1765), all in their time renowned artists. Most notable for his portraits, nudes and

history painting History painting is a genre in painting defined by its subject matter rather than any artistic style or specific period. History paintings depict a moment in a narrative story, most often (but not exclusively) Greek and Roman mythology and Bible ...

s, Johann Daniel Preissler also produced drawings and frescoes. He was particularly known beyond his native

Nuremberg Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...

for his ''Die durch Theorie erfundene Practic'' (full title: ''Die durch Theorie'' ''erfundene Practic oder Gründlich verfasste Reguln deren man sich als einer Anleitung zu berühmter Künstlere Zeichen-Wercke bestens bedienen kann''), a sequence of works on art theory – the individual works were translated into several other languages and served as textbooks for students such as the Swiss

Salomon Gessner Salomon Gessner (1730–1788) was a Swiss painter, graphic artist, government official, newspaper publisher and poet; best known in the latter instance for his ''Idylls''. Biography His father, Hans Konrad Gessner (1696–1775), was a printer, ...

right up until the 19th century. By the time of his death in 1737,

Johann Caspar Füssli Johann Caspar Füssli (3 January 1706 – 6 May 1782) was a Swiss portrait painter and writer. Biography Füssli was born in Zurich to Hans Rudolf Füssli, who was also a painter, and Elisabeth Schärer. He studied painting in Vienna betwe ...

spoke of Preissler and Jan Kupecky as the two most famous Nuremberg artists of the early 18th century.

Life

Preissler was the posthumous son of the history painter and portraitist Daniel Preissler (1627–1665). He got his education in the studio of Johann Murrer. From 1688 to 1696 he stayed in Italy, including periods in Rome and Venice. In 1705 he became the director of Nuremberg's

Academy of Fine Arts The following is a list of notable art schools. Accredited non-profit art and design colleges * Adelaide Central School of Art * Alberta College of Art and Design * Art Academy of Cincinnati * Art Center College of Design * The Art Institute o ...

which under his leadership turned into a city institution. In 1716 he founded the ''Zeichenschule'' (drawing school), open to "poor people's children" – it proved a great success. With 71 students entering in the first year, its intake was so large that in 1721 Preissler began producing the teaching materials which later became his ''Die durch Theorie erfundene Practic'' – he had previously only published academic works, such as ones on anatomy. Preissler also wrote on the academically neglected topics such as ornament and flower-drawing (in 1725) and landscape drawing (1739), though throughout his writing he insisted that these were only beginners' lessons. According to the ''Nuernbergisches'' ''Gelehrten''-''Lexicon'', he suffered from poor health, which prevented him from achieving all the expectations his great talent allowed. The same article indicates that his five sons were not only excellent artists but fond of music, and to make him happy, they often liked to play a concert for him, in which he occasionally himself participated.

Notes

Bibliography

* '' (de) Nürnberger Künstlerlexikon''. 2007 * (de) Wilhelm Schwemmer: ''Nürnberger Kunst im 18. Jahrhundert.'' * (de) Wolf Eiermann: ''Die Veröffentlichungen der Nürnberger Mahler-Academie.'' * (de) Friedrich Leitschuh
''Preisler, Daniel [family article]''
In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Band 26. Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1888, S. 550–552. *(de) Will, Georg Andreas, ''Nürnbergisches Gelehrten-Lexikon, As supplemented by Christian Conrad Nopitsch (8 volumes), published 1755-1802''.

External links

in the catalogue of the

Deutschen Nationalbibliothek The German National Library (DNB; german: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek) is the central archival library and national bibliographic centre for the Federal Republic of Germany. It is one of the largest libraries in the world. Its task is to colle ...

Johann Daniel Preißler
at arthistoricum.net *https://web.archive.org/web/20160304110221/https://portal.d-nb.de/opac.htm?query=Woe%3D116282061&method=simpleSearch *http://www.arthistoricum.net/themen/themenportale/geschichte-der-kunstgeschichte/quellen-zur-geschichte-der-kunstgeschichte-digital/johann-daniel-preissler-1666-1737/ 1666 births 1737 deaths German engravers 17th-century German painters German male painters 18th-century German painters 18th-century German male artists Academic staff of the Academy of Fine Arts, Nuremberg {{Germany-artist-stub