Johann Evangelist Scheffer von Leonhardshoff (30 October 1795,

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

– 12 January 1822, Vienna) was an Austrian painter and graphic artist associated with the

Nazarene movement The epithet Nazarene was adopted by a group of early 19th-century German Romantic painters who aimed to revive spirituality in art. The name Nazarene came from a term of derision used against them for their affectation of a biblical manner of c ...

Life

He belonged to a noble but poor family that originally came from Fulda and was barely more than a child when he began studies at the

Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna (german: link=no, Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien) is a public art school in Vienna, Austria. History The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna was founded in 1692 as a private academy modelled on the Accademia di Sa ...

, under Hubert Maurer. He came under the influence of the Nazarene movement, however, and moved away from the Academic painting style. In 1812, he took a trip to Venice to visit his sister, then went on to Ferrara, which is the place where he may have contracted the

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

that would cause his early death. When he returned from Italy, he settled in

Klagenfurt Klagenfurt am WörtherseeLandesgesetzblatt 2008 vom 16. Jänner 2008, Stück 1, Nr. 1: ''Gesetz vom 25. Oktober 2007, mit dem die Kärntner Landesverfassung und das Klagenfurter Stadtrecht 1998 geändert werden.'/ref> (; ; sl, Celovec), usually ...

, where the Prince-bishop of Gurk, , became his patron and appointed him Court Painter. In 1814, he was able to undertake another, extensive tour of Italy, during which he was admitted to see Pope

Pius VII Pope Pius VII ( it, Pio VII; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. Chiaramonti was also a m ...

and received the

Supreme Order of Christ The Supreme Order of Christ ( it, Ordine Supremo del Cristo) was the highest order of chivalry awarded by the pope. According to some scholars, it owes its origin to the same Order of Christ of the Knights Templar, from which came the Order of ...

for painting the Pope's portrait. After that, his friends jokingly referred to him as "Raffaelino" (Little

Raphael Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, better known as Raphael (; or ; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form, ease of composition, and visual a ...

). In 1816, he returned to Klagenfurt and fell seriously ill. He moved to Vienna in 1819 and took a last trip to Italy from 1820 to 1821. Back in Vienna he was rejected by his long-time love, Caecilia Bontzak, who felt ignored, and his illness worsened rapidly. He died just a few months after his 26th birthday.

References

External links

What It's Worth: Biography

* ttp://oxfordindex.oup.com/view/10.1093/gao/9781884446054.article.T076459 Grove Art Online: Brief biography
Arcadja: Works by Leonhardshoff
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leonhardshoff, Johann Scheffer von 1795 births 1822 deaths Austrian painters Austrian male painters Nazarene movement

Life

References

Further reading

External links