František Horčička Born in Prague June 29, 1776 and died in Prague April 5, 1856. History and portrait painter. Along with painters Antonín Machek

Antonín Machek

Antonín Machek was a Czech painter. His talent was discovered by the Bishop of Hradec Kralove and granted him an apprenticeship with his court painter, Zitta. Trained in the Baroque style, he quickly adopted elements of Neoclassicism in his work, and upon moving to Prague soon became much in...

 and František Tkadlík

František Tkadlík

František Tkadlík was a Czech painter. Many of his works were painted in the Classicist and Empiricist styles. He served as court painter to the Czernin family from 1817 until 1825, and acted as guard of their art gallery in Vienna...

 and sculptor Václav Prachner, he was among the first local artists to reimagine Neoclassicism

Neoclassicism

Neoclassicism is the name given to Western movements in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that draw inspiration from the "classical" art and culture of Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome...

 using Romantic

Romanticism

Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...

 ideas. Horčička turned to painting after graduating from law school, and was much in demand around Prague

Prague

Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...

 as a portraitist of the intelligentsia. He also worked as an art restorer, notably in restoring paintings in Prague Castle

Prague Castle

Prague Castle is a castle in Prague where the Kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman Emperors and presidents of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic have had their offices. The Czech Crown Jewels are kept here...

. His father-in-law was František Martin Pelcl; Josef Dobrovský

Josef Dobrovský

Josef Dobrovský was a Bohemian philologist and historian, one of the most important figures of the Czech national revival.- Life & Work :...

 was among his friends. He painted a number of portraits including his friend Dobrovský and Adam Bittner. Considered the most important portrait painter of his day until supplanted by Jacob Ginzel in 1822. He developed a valuable process for restoring pictures.

Works: St Wenceslaus destroying the Idol Swantovit; St Albert blessing the Country; St George and the Dragon; Holy Trinity; Portraits of Ignatius Cornova,Mathematician Gerstner, Abbe Dobrowsky, the philosopher Bolzano, Historian Pelzel, the Physiologist Purkyne; the Arch Bishop of Prague 1815-1830, Vaclav Leopold Chlumcansky. Miniatures, National Museum, Munich; Hortulus Animae, and several Codices, Imperial Library, Vienna; Psalter and Offici-um in three Folio Volumes, Vatican, rome -Immerzeel,ii. 55; Kramm,iii. 747; Mich- iels, vi., 406; Nagler, Mon., ii. 37