Jean-Valentin Metzinger (19 April 1699,

Saint-Avold Saint-Avold (; ; Lorraine Franconian: ''Sänt Avuur'') is a commune in the Moselle department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. It is situated twenty-eight miles (45 km) east of Metz, France and seventeen miles (27 km) southwest o ...

– 12 March 1759,

Ljubljana Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the are ...

) was a French-born Austrian-Slovenian painter, in the Baroque style.

Life and work

His ancestors were originally from Italy. He was one of twelve children born to François Metzinger (died 1721), and his wife, Maria Magdalena née Valentini; including his twin brother, Jean-Philippe. Where he had his first painting lessons is unknown. He later studied in Bologna, Venice and Rome, but there is no record of attendance at any academies. In Rome, his primary contacts were with other French artists, although he seems to have been influenced by Guido Reni,

Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens (; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat from the Duchy of Brabant in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium). He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque tradi ...

and Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, among others. Some speculations have centered on time in Germany, but those influences are not apparent until much later in his life."Metzinger, Janez Valentin"
@ Slovenska biografija The first known reference to his presence in Ljubljana (then called Laibach) is in a municipal revenue book, from 1727, when he made a payment toward acquiring a license. In that record, he is described as a "professional painter". Why he chose to settle there is unknown. He was married in 1731, to an older woman, and had no children. His first employment came from the

Franciscans , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

, who commissioned numerous works between 1727 and 1730, in

Novo mesto Novo Mesto (; sl, Novo mesto; also known by other alternative names) is a city on a bend of the Krka River in the City Municipality of Novo Mesto in southeastern Slovenia, close to the border with Croatia. The town is traditionally considered ...

(Neustädtl) and

Brežice Brežice (; german: Rann ) is a town in eastern Slovenia in the Lower Sava Valley, near the Croatian border. It is the seat of the Municipality of Brežice. It lies in the center of the Brežice Plain ( sl, Brežiško polje), which is part of the ...

(Rann). Some of his projects were accomplished in areas that are now part of

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

, including

Jastrebarsko Jastrebarsko (; hu, Jaska), colloquially known as Jaska, is a town in Zagreb County, Croatia. History Antiquity In 1865, remnants of a Roman settlement were uncovered in Repišće, Klinča Sela, a village in Jastrebarsko metropolitan are ...

Samobor Samobor () is a city in Zagreb County, Croatia. It is part of the Zagreb metropolitan area. Administratively it is a part of Zagreb County. Geography Samobor is located west of Zagreb, between the eastern slopes of the Samobor hills ( hr, Samo ...

Klanjec Klanjec () is a small town in northwestern Croatia, in the region of Hrvatsko Zagorje on the border with Slovenia. History In the late 19th and early 20th century, Klanjec was a district capital in the Varaždin County of the Kingdom of Croatia- ...

, and

Trsat Trsat ( it, Tersatto, la, Tarsatica) is part of the city of Rijeka, Croatia, with a historic castle or fortress in a strategic location and several historic churches, in one of which the Croatian noble Prince Vuk Krsto Frankopan is buried. Trsa ...

. He also received commissions from the

Capuchins Capuchin can refer to: *Order of Friars Minor Capuchin The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (; postnominal abbr. O.F.M. Cap.) is a religious order of Franciscan friars within the Catholic Church, one of Three " First Orders" that reformed from t ...

. His individual clients included the theologians, and , and Bishop . His wife preceded him in death by six months. He died, following a long illness, at the age of sixty; leaving his estate to a nephew. Although he never had any formal students, his paintings are cited as having influenced

Anton Cebej Anton Cebej, or Zebey (23 May 1722, Ajdovščina – after 1774) was a Slovenian painter, in the Baroque style. Biography Very little is known about his life. The information that is available is derived entirely from a history of his works, the ...

and . Most of his works are in Ljubljana, but they may also be seen in Styria, Passau, and

Trieste Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into prov ...

. Over 500 works have been attributed to him, although many may have largely been done by assistants in his workshop. Some exist in several versions.

References

External links

"Valentin Metzinger: Življenje in delo baročnega slikarja"
@

National Gallery of Slovenia The National Gallery of Slovenia ( sl, Narodna galerija) is the national art gallery of Slovenia. It is located in the capital Ljubljana. It was founded in 1918, after the dissolution of Austria-Hungary and the establishment of the State of Sloven ...

"Valentin Metzinger"
@ Slovenski baročni slikarji {{DEFAULTSORT:Metzinger, Valentin 1699 births 1759 deaths 18th-century French painters Austrian painters Slovenian painters Religious painters People from Saint-Avold

Life and work

References

Further reading

External links