Jan Jahn
Encyclopedia
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...
) was a Czech painter and art historian.
Jahn studied painting from an early age, under his father until 1758 and later under established painters Jan Ferdinand Schor and František Xaver Palko. From 1761 he studied art at the Academy in Vienna. Jahn was the last leader of the Prague guild of painters, before the guild was dissolved as part of reforms of Joseph II
Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor
Joseph II was Holy Roman Emperor from 1765 to 1790 and ruler of the Habsburg lands from 1780 to 1790. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Francis I...
. Jahn was also very well-travelled.
While Jahn was merely a competent artist, if not outstanding, he had a highly developed education in history and theory of arts. The majority of his customers were churches and religious orders, and their decline towards the end of 18th century caused Jahn to fall into financial difficulty. He unwillingly turned his attention to business, selling textiles, while continuing painting as a leisure activity. His most famous work was a history of painting in Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
.