Johann König (21 October 1586 – 4 March 1642) was a German painter. He was a follower of

Adam Elsheimer Adam Elsheimer (18 March 1578 – 11 December 1610) was a German artist working in Rome, who died at only thirty-two, but was very influential in the early 17th century in the field of Baroque paintings. His relatively few paintings were sma ...

. He is known primarily for his painted copper panels.

Life

König was born in Nuremberg in 1586, the son of goldsmith Arnold König. His knowledge of the works of Johannes Rottenhammer suggests that he might have apprenticed in

Augsburg Augsburg ( , ; ; ) is a city in the Bavaria, Bavarian part of Swabia, Germany, around west of the Bavarian capital Munich. It is a College town, university town and the regional seat of the Swabia (administrative region), Swabia with a well ...

(possibly with Rottenhammer). He spent a year in

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

and Rome from 1610 to 1614. There he possibly made contact in December 1610 with Elsheimer before the latter died. His works directly influenced even König's early works.

Paul Bril Paul Bril (1554 – 7 October 1626) was a Southern Netherlands, Flemish painter and printmaker principally known for his Landscape art, landscapes.Nicola Courtright. "Paul Bril." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. ...

also exerted a strong influence on the painter. In Rome, he came into contact with the early works of

Carlo Saraceni Carlo Saraceni (1579 – 16 June 1620) was an Italian early-Baroque painter, whose reputation as a "first-class painter of the second rank" was improved with the publication of a modern monograph in 1968. Life Though he was born and died in Ven ...

. In 1614 he returned to Augsburg, married and received painter rights from the local guild. In 1622 he became a member of the Painters' Guild and a year later, he became a member of the Great Council. After 1620 he worked with Matthias Gundelach and Johann Matthias Kager on decorations of

Augsburg Town Hall Augsburg Town Hall () is the administrative centre of Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany, and one of the most significant secular buildings of the Renaissance style north of the Alps. It was designed and built by Elias Holl, Stadtbaumeister ( Master Buil ...

created by Elias Holl. Following the

Edict of Restitution The Edict of Restitution was proclaimed by Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor in Vienna, on 6 March 1629, eleven years into the Thirty Years' War. Following Catholic League (German), Catholic military successes, Ferdinand hoped to restore control ...

, by 1631 he returned to Nuremberg, where he further worked and died in March 1642.

Overview

König was known as a painter of small-format images on copper and colorful miniatures and Kunstkammer pieces on

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

. They are now on display along with five drawings in municipal art collections in the

Schaezlerpalais The Schaezlerpalais is a baroque palace in Augsburg. The palace extends far back from the street, encompassing dozens of rooms, courtyards and gardens. The gilded mirrored ballroom was built between 1765-1770 and has survived intact. it is widely r ...

in Augsburg. His other works are displayed in the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

, the Kunsthistorisches Museum in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, the art gallery in Berlin, the Hessian State Museum in

Darmstadt Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it the ...

, the Staatliche Kunsthalle in

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( ; ; ; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, third-largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, after its capital Stuttgart a ...

, in the National Museum of Germanic in Nuremberg and the

Ashmolean Museum The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology () on Beaumont Street in Oxford, England, is Britain's first public museum. Its first building was erected in 1678–1683 to house the cabinet of curiosities that Elias Ashmole gave to the University ...

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

. Pieces of medium-large format on canvas, such as the painting of

Saint Peter Saint Peter (born Shimon Bar Yonah; 1 BC – AD 64/68), also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the first leaders of the Jewish Christian#Jerusalem ekklēsia, e ...

, in the Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum in

Braunschweig Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( ; from Low German , local dialect: ) is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the ...

and a painting of the stoning of St. Stephen.

Gallery

File:Johann König - Der kreuztragende Jesus.jpg, ''The cross-bearing Jesus'' File:Adoration König.jpg, ''Adoration with Angels and Putti carrying the tools of the Passion'' File:Johann König Himmelfahrt Christi 1622.jpg, ''Ascension of Christ''

Bibliography

* Gode/Krämer. ''Augsburger Stadtlexikon'' (Stand: 2. Auflage Druckausgabe) * Baumgartl/Lauterbach/Otto. ''Maler in Franken – Leben und Werk von Künstlern aus fünf Jahrhunderten'', Nürnberg

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Konig, Johann 17th-century German painters Painters from Nuremberg German male painters 1586 births 1642 deaths