Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Müller (11 December 1782,

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

- 3 May 1816,

Pirna Pirna (; , ) is a town in Saxony, Germany and capital of the administrative district Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge. The town's population is over 37,000. Pirna is located near Dresden and is an important district town as well as a ''Große ...

) was a German copperplate engraver.

Biography

He was the eldest son of the copperplate engraver, Johann Gotthard von Müller, and his second wife Rosine née Schott. An early case of

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...

left him with a weak constitution. He initially pursued a scientific education but, before finishing school, decided to become an engraver as well. Trained by his father, he produced his first works in 1798.Andreas Andresen: "Leben und Werke der beiden Kupferstecher Johann Gotthard von Müller und Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Müller", in: ''Archiv für die zeichnenden Künste mit besonderer Beziehung auf Kupferstecher- und Holzschneidekunst und ihre Geschichte'', 1865, pp.1–41
Online
He also received professional advice from family friends; notably

Johann Heinrich von Dannecker Johann Heinrich von Dannecker (October 16, 1758 in StuttgartDecember 8, 1841 in Stuttgart) was a German sculptor and director of an art school. Biography He was the third of five children of Georg Dannecker (1718–1786), a coachman of the nobl ...

His final studies in Paris were interrupted by another period of illness. There, in addition to engraving, he studied oil painting with Franz Peter Kymli. He returned to Stuttgart in 1804. Shortly after, he received a commission from an art dealer in

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

to create an engraving of the

Sistine Madonna The ''Sistine Madonna'', also called the ''Madonna di San Sisto'', is an oil painting by the Italian artist Raphael. The painting was commissioned in 1512 by Pope Julius II for the church of San Sisto, Piacenza, and probably executed ''c.'' 15 ...

, by

Raphael Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), now generally known in English as Raphael ( , ), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. List of paintings by Raphael, His work is admired for its cl ...

. It was to be based on a drawing by Apollonia Seydelmann, a local Dresden artist. Apparently, he was not fully satisfied with her rendition of the work, and travelled to Italy to study Raphael's paintings in person.Christian Rümelin: ''Johann Gotthard Müller und das Stuttgarter Kupferstecherei-Institut'', Stuttgart 2000, He was there until 1809. Back in Stuttgart, he focused on the Madonna and portraits. In 1811, he married Henriette Rapp, a niece of the merchant and art collector, . He had met her while she was living with the Danneckers; distant relatives who put her through school. Their son, Karl Friedrich Johann, became a well-known painter. In 1814, probably due to his work on the Madonna, he was named a professor at the

Dresden Academy of Fine Arts The Dresden Academy of Fine Arts (German language, German ''Hochschule für Bildende Künste Dresden''), often abbreviated HfBK Dresden or simply HfBK, is a vocational university of visual arts located in Dresden, Germany. The present institutio ...

. The Madonna was completed in 1815. Shortly after, he began to suffer from religious delusions and ate very little. His condition may have been worsened by the political situation, which made it difficult to find work. Eventually, he became seriously ill, was taken to a mental hospital, and placed in the care of Dr. . He died from jumping out of a window. Whether it was an attempt to escape, or suicide, is unknown.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Muller, Johann Friedrich 1782 births 1816 deaths German artists 18th-century German engravers 19th-century German engravers Artists from Stuttgart Deaths from falls

Biography

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Further reading

External links