Johann Friedrich Anthing (1753–1805) was a German
serviceman
The term serviceman, alternatively service member, refers to enlisted members of a nation's armed forces. More generally, the term can be applied to officers as well.
For more information see:
*Soldier
*Sailor
*Airman
*Marine
*Coast guard
...
, artist and historian.
Biography
Johann Friedrich Anthing was born on 26 May 1753 in
Gotha
Gotha () is the fifth-largest city in Thuringia, Germany, west of Erfurt and east of Eisenach with a population of 44,000. The city is the capital of the Gotha (district), district of Gotha and was also a residence of the Ernestine House of Wet ...
(then in the
Saxe-Coburg Duchy, now in
Thuringia
Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million.
Erfurt is the capital and lar ...
). After his theological studies in
Iena, Anthing travelled across Europe, going from one royal court to the next, as a silhouette artist. He drew portraits of princes, courtiers and famous personalities such as
Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as tr ...
during his stay at the Weimar court (1789). He was employed in
Saint-Petersburg from 1783 and drew portraits of members of the imperial family, including Grand Duke Paul Petrovitch (then
Paul I of Russia) and his wife
Maria Fedorovna, as well as members of the
Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences
The Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS; russian: Росси́йская акаде́мия нау́к (РАН) ''Rossíyskaya akadémiya naúk'') consists of the national academy of Russia; a network of scientific research institutes from across t ...
. Anthing travelled to
Frankfurt
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...
in 1790 to attend the crowning of
Leopold II, and he published a description of the ceremony. In 1793, Anthing returned to Russia and became Marshal
Alexander Suvorov
Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov (russian: Алекса́ндр Васи́льевич Суво́ров, Aleksándr Vasíl'yevich Suvórov; or 1730) was a Russian general in service of the Russian Empire. He was Count of Rymnik, Count of the Holy ...
's Aide-de-camp. He would later write a three-volume biography of Suvorov (History of the Campaigns of Marshal Suvorov). After the crowning of
Paul I Paul I may refer to:
*Paul of Samosata (200–275), Bishop of Antioch
* Paul I of Constantinople (died c. 350), Archbishop of Constantinople
*Pope Paul I (700–767)
*Paul I Šubić of Bribir (c. 1245–1312), Ban of Croatia and Lord of Bosnia
*Pau ...
and Suvorov's subsequent disgrace in 1797, Anthing resigned. He spent the last years of his life in Saint-Petersburg and died on 12 August 1805.
Personal life
Married to a Frenchwoman, he had a daughter, Johanna Maria Sophia "Sophinka" d'Anthing (1799–1823), who would settle in France. He was also the elder brother of general
Karl Heinrich Wilhelm Anthing.
Some of his drawings
Image:Anthing-Pavlovsk.jpg, Silhouettes of Paul Petrovitch, Maria Fedorovna and their children
Image:Anthing-DavidRoentgenhighres.jpg, Silhouette of David Roentgen
David Roentgen (1743 in HerrnhaagFebruary 12, 1807), was a famous German cabinetmaker of the eighteenth century, famed throughout Europe for his marquetry and his secret drawers and poes and mechanical fittings. His work embraces the late Rococ ...
in the imperial cabinet
Image:Pallas Peter by Anting 1784.png, Peter Simon Pallas
Peter Simon Pallas FRS FRSE (22 September 1741 – 8 September 1811) was a Prussian zoologist and botanist who worked in Russia between 1767 and 1810.
Life and work
Peter Simon Pallas was born in Berlin, the son of Professor of Surgery ...
Image:Lexell.png, Anders Johan Lexell
Selected works
* ''Recueil de cent silhouettes de personnes illustres et célèbres dessinées d'après les originaux'' (1791). In French, on the
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
The German Research Foundation (german: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft ; DFG ) is a German research funding organization, which functions as a self-governing institution for the promotion of science and research in the Federal Republic of Germ ...
's website
* ''Über Russland, seine Landesart, Sitten, Luxus, Moden und Ergötzlichkeiten'' (1791)
* ''Versuch einer Kriegs-Geschichte des Grafen Alex. Suworow'' (1795–1799) (English : ''History of the Campaigns of Prince Alexander Suworow Rymnikski, Field-Marshal-General in the Service of His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor of Russia'')
Sources
* Short biography in German of Johann Friedrich Anthing on the National German Library's website (Deutschen Nationalbibliothek)
* Anthing, Johann Friedrich (2002). ''History of the Campaigns of Prince Alexander Suworow Rymnikski, Field-Marshal-General in the Service of His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor of Russia.'' BookSurge Publishing.
* Schüddekopf, Johann Friedrich (1913). ''Johann Friedrich Anthing. Eine Skizze.'' Weimar: Gesellschaft der Bibliophilen. (Johann Friedrich Anthing. A drawing)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anthing, Johann Friedrich
German artists
Military history of Russia
1753 births
1805 deaths