Mihály Zichy (; ; 15 October 1827 – 28 February 1906) was a Hungarian painter and graphic artist. He is considered a notable representative of Hungarian romantic painting. He lived and worked primarily in St. Petersburg and Paris during his career.
He is known for illustrating the Georgian epic poem '' The Knight in the Panther's Skin'' on an 1881 commission by the intelligentsia. By the time he had completed 35 pictures, he was so moved by the poem that he gave his works to the Georgian people as a gift.
Biography
During his law studies in Pest from 1842, Zichy attended Jakab Marastoni's art school as well. He went to
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. ...
to study under Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller in 1844. ''Lifeboat'', his first major work, was painted during this period.
On Waldmüller's recommendation, Zichy was hired as an art teacher in
St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...
. He swore allegiance to freedom in 1849 by painting the portrait of
Lajos Batthyány
Count Lajos Batthyány de Németújvár (; ; 10 February 1807 – 6 October 1849) was the first Prime Minister of Hungary. He was born in Pozsony (modern-day Bratislava) on 10 February 1807, and was executed by firing squad in Pest, Hungary, Pe ...
, the first Hungarian prime minister. From 1850 onwards, he worked primarily as a retoucher. He also made pencil drawings, water colours, and portraits in oil.
His erotic drawings are noted for having a warm intensity, as both members of the couple seem equal partners. The series on the Gatchina hunting, ordered by the Russian tsar, gained Zichy standing as a court artist. He founded a society to support painters in need. He painted '' Autodafé'' (1868) to express the horrors of the
Spanish Inquisition
The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition () was established in 1478 by the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, Catholic Monarchs, King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile and lasted until 1834. It began toward the end of ...
in earlier centuries. In 1871 he travelled through Europe, settling in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
in 1874.
He painted '' Queen Elisabeth Laying Flowers by the Coffin of Ferenc Deák'' as a commission from Treffort. ''Drinking Bout of Henry III'' his next large-scale picture, came in 1875. ''The Victory of the Genius of Destruction'', painted for the Paris Exhibition, was banned by French authorities because of its daring antimilitarist message.
Zichy left Paris in 1881 and returned to St. Petersburg, after short stays in
Nice
Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one millionZala.
That year he also visited
Tbilisi
Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States
Georgia may also refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
). He was commissioned to illustrate the Georgian epic poem, '' The Knight in the Panther's Skin'', at the request of intelligentsia of the country. He painted 35 pictures in total. The publishing commission of the work of ''The Knight in the Panther's Skin'' chose 27 pictures to be included in the publication. The painter refused to take payment for the works, because he was so moved by the original poem. Instead, he gave his works to the Georgian people.
From this time onward, Zichy mostly engaged in illustration work. Examples of works he illustrated include '' The Tragedy of Man'' by
Imre Madách
Imre Madách de Sztregova et Kelecsény (20 January 1823 – 5 October 1864) was a Hungarian people, Hungarian aristocrat, writer, poet, lawyer and politician. His major work is ''The Tragedy of Man'' (''Az ember tragédiája'', 1861). It is a dr ...
, in 1887, and twenty-four ballads of
János Arany
János Arany (; archaic English: John Arany; 2 March 1817 – 22 October 1882) was a Hungarian poet, writer, translator and journalist. He is often said to be the "Shakespeare of ballads" – he wrote more than 102 ballads that have been transl ...
, 1894–98.
Image:Mihaly_Zichy_Two_Lovers.jpg, "Lovers Embrace", in ink by Mihály Zichy
Image:Michael von Zichy-Liebe,1911-3.jpg, "Making love" (1911)
Image:Vepkhistkaosani zichy.jpg, Shota Rustaveli presents his epic poem to Queen Tamar, 1880s
Image:Zichy Mihály A démon fegyverei.jpg, ''The Triumph of the Genius of Destruction''
Image:Mihály Zichy Lifeboat 1847.jpeg, ''Lifeboat''
References
* Ilona Berkovits, ''Zichy, Mihály. Leben und Werk'', Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1964.