Johann Friedrich Leybold (18 June 1755,

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...

- 13 November 1838,

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

) was a German

miniaturist A portrait miniature is a miniature portrait painting, usually executed in gouache, watercolor, or enamel. Portrait miniatures developed out of the techniques of the miniatures in illuminated manuscripts, and were popular among 16th-century eli ...

painter and

copper engraver Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an in ...

Biography

He was the son of a Master baker. As a young employee of the porcelain factory in

Ludwigsburg Ludwigsburg (; Swabian: ''Ludisburg'') is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about north of Stuttgart city centre, near the river Neckar. It is the largest and primary city of the Ludwigsburg district with about 88,000 inhabitants. It is ...

, his supervisors noticed his artistic skills and recommended that his father allow him to take drawing lessons. This was agreed to, and he began his studies with a local sculptor, then attended an art school in Stuttgart. After that, he and two other students were assigned to work with the court

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...

maker, decorating

Solitude Palace Solitude Palace () is a Rococo ''schloss'' and hunting retreat commissioned by Charles Eugene, Duke of Württemberg. It was designed by and Philippe de La Guêpière, and constructed from 1764 to 1769. It is located on an elongated ridge between ...

. In 1770, all three were accepted into the new military painting school. In 1773, the painting school expanded and became the Military Academy. The following year, a copper engraving school was added and

Johann Gotthard von Müller Johann Gotthard von Müller (4 May 1747 in Bernhausen, near Stuttgart – 14 March 1830 in Stuttgart) was a German line engraver. Biography He prepared himself for the church, but attended the academy of fine arts as well and studied under the ...

was named its Director. Leybold became his first student and, later, his assistant. He was named the Court Engraver in 1781 so, rather than study abroad, he remained in Stuttgart. Despite this appointment, his main source of income appears to have been miniature portrait painting. In 1789, he was given a professorship in drawing and modeling at the

Hohe Karlsschule Hohe Karlsschule (''Karl's High School'') was the strict military academy founded by Karl Eugen, Duke of Württemberg in Stuttgart, Germany. It was first founded in 1770 as a military orphanage, but then converted into a military academy in 1773 f ...

, an offshoot of the Military Academy. However, when Duke Charles Eugene died, in 1793, everyone who had been employed by him lost their jobs. Leybold was given promises that he would eventually be reinstated, but he never was. In 1797, he received an appointment as Court Engraver in

Saxe-Coburg Saxe-Coburg (german: Sachsen-Coburg) was a duchy held by the Ernestine branch of the Wettin dynasty in today's Bavaria, Germany. History Ernestine Line When Henry IV, Count of Henneberg – Schleusingen, died in 1347, the possessions of the ...

, but this produced little income, so he moved to Vienna in 1798. Over the next five years, he once again supported himself and his family as a miniaturist. When his son, Karl, became old enough to help provide, he returned to engraving and completed several projects he had begun years before, including a "Death of

Marc Antony Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic from a constitutional republic into the autoc ...

", after a painting by , and a "Death of the Consul Papirius", after

Philipp Friedrich von Hetsch Philipp Friedrich von Hetsch (10 September 1758, Stuttgart - 31 December 1838, Stuttgart) was a German Classical painter, known primarily for his portraits, although he also created historical and mythological scenes. Biography His father w ...

. These works helped him make the acquaintance of

Heinrich Füger Heinrich Friedrich Füger (8 December 1751, in Heilbronn – 5 November 1818, in Vienna) was a German classicist portrait and historical painter. Biography Füger was a pupil of Nicolas Guibal in Stuttgart and of Adam Friedrich Oeser in Leipz ...

, Director of the

Belvedere Gallery Belvedere (from Italian, meaning "beautiful sight") may refer to: Places Australia *Belvedere, Queensland, a locality in the Cassowary Coast Region Africa *Belvedere (Casablanca), a neighborhood in Casablanca, Morocco *Belvedere, Harare, Zim ...

, who commissioned him to provide several illustrations for ''

Der Messias ''Der Messias'', K. 572, is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's 1789 German-language version of ''Messiah'', George Frideric Handel's 1741 oratorio. On the initiative of Gottfried van Swieten, Mozart adapted Handel's work for performances in Vienna ...

'', by

Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock (; 2 July 1724 – 14 March 1803) was a German poet. His best known work is the epic poem ''Der Messias'' ("The Messiah"). One of his major contributions to German literature was to open it up to exploration outside ...

. In 1812, following the death of , former Director of the Copper Engraving Academy, Leybold became the Court Copper Engraver in Vienna. Shortly after, he was appointed a Professor at the copper engraving school and became a member of the Academic Council. Four of his sons also became artists: Karl Jakob Theodor, , and Rudolf Moritz (1806-1857).

Sources

Biography
from the ''

Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich ''Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich'' (English, ''Biographical Encyclopedia of the Austrian Empire'') (abbreviated ''Wurzbach'' from the author's surname) is a 60-volume work, edited and published by Constantin von Wurzbach, cont ...

'' @ WikiSource * *

External links

More works by Leybold
@ the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leybold, Johann Friedrich 1755 births 1838 deaths German artists Miniature painting German engravers German illustrators Artists from Stuttgart