Johann Eleazar Zeissig
Encyclopedia
Johann Eleazar Zeissig, also known as Schenau (November 7, 1737 – August 23, 1806), was a German
genre
, portrait
and porcelain
painter, and engraver; director of the Royal Academy of Arts in Dresden
.
weavers, of Großschönau
, near Zittau
in Saxony
. Together with his five sisters, he was tutored by his father in arithmetic, writing, reading and also learnt the trade of Damask weaving. He showed an early talent for painting and drawing, and was sent away at the age of twelve to study art in Dresden, where he was also employed as a lawyer's clerk. Through the help of a pupil of Anton Raphael Mengs
, he was accepted at the Dresden art school.
Here, Schenau was taught by Charles-François de Silvestre, the son of the director of the school, Louis de Silvestre
. In 1756, after the outbreak of the Seven Years War, he accompanied the Sylvestre brothers to Paris
, where he stayed until 1770, working at the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture with, amongst others, Johann Georg Wille
. He became acquainted with leading French artists of the day, such as François Boucher
, Gabriel François Doyen
, Maurice Quentin de La Tour
and Edmé Bouchardon
; he was particularly influenced by the work of Jean-Baptiste Greuze
. Schenau copied the works of the old master
s such as Antonio da Correggio
, Guido Reni
and Titian
, and acquired the patronage of the Saxon ambassador, General Fontenay. He also became a china
painter, working at the porcelain factory in Sèvres
, taking on, in addition, the roles of goldsmith
, engraver and sculptor.
Through the influence of his mentor, Charles-François de Silvestre, or his wife, the teacher and confidante of the Dauphine Maria Josepha, Schenau was introduced to the French court; he received many commissions from the Crown Princess of France and was soon the most respected genre painter
in Paris. He painted portraits of, amongst others, Maria Josepha and Madame de Pompadour
.
In 1770, at the end of the Seven Years' War, Schenau went back to Dresden. In that year he became a member of the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts and, three years later, the Director of the drawing school of the porcelain factory in Meissen
. In Meissen, he taught students not only drawing on china, but also created new designs.
In 1774, he became professor of genre and portrait painting at the Dresden Art Academy. After the death of Charles François Hutin
, in 1776, he was made, together with Giovanni Battista Casanova
, alternate director of the Academy and on Casanova's death in 1795, the sole director. Among his students were Christian Henry Becke, Friedrich Rehberg
and Christian Leberecht Vogel
; amongst his admirers was the writer August Gottlieb Meissner, who dedicated his book Alcibiades (1781) to the artist. In 1796 Schenau returned from the Meissen porcelain factory and devoted the following years to teaching at the Art Academy.
Schenau died in 1806 in Dresden. His grave was originally located in St. John's
churchyard but, after the secularization of the cemetery in 1858, was moved to the cemetery in Großschönau.
s, such as Gerard Dou
and Caspar Netscher
.
His work was also influenced by his French friends, such as Jean Siméon Chardin, and, especially, Jean-Baptiste Greuze
. Many of his drawings and paintings were reproduced as copper engraving reproductions for mass sale. Under the name Daniel Heimlich, Schenau also published etchings of views from the area around Paris.
Many of his works are now lost or destroyed, such as the altarpiece of the Holy Cross Church
in Dresden, which he had worked on from 1788-1792; a fire in 1897 destroyed the nave and the altar which was replaced by a work by Anton Dietrich
(1833-1904).
Most of his surviving works are now in museums in Saxony. A few of his works, such as "Elector of Saxony's Family" (1772) and "The Art Discussion" (1777), can be found in the Dresden State Art Collections
. Many works are in the "Deutsches Damast-und Frottiermuseum" in his hometown of Großschönau.
(left), Schenau himself and Anton Graff
.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
genre
Genre painting
Genre works, also called genre scenes or genre views, are pictorial representations in any of various media that represent scenes or events from everyday life, such as markets, domestic settings, interiors, parties, inn scenes, and street scenes. Such representations may be realistic, imagined, or...
, portrait
Portrait painting
Portrait painting is a genre in painting, where the intent is to depict the visual appearance of the subject. Beside human beings, animals, pets and even inanimate objects can be chosen as the subject for a portrait...
and porcelain
Porcelain
Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...
painter, and engraver; director of the Royal Academy of Arts in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
.
Life
Schenau was born in 1737, the son of Elias Zeissig and Anna Elisabeth (née Paul), poor DamaskDamask
Damask is a reversible figured fabric of silk, wool, linen, cotton, or synthetic fibers, with a pattern formed by weaving. Damasks are woven with one warp yarn and one weft yarn, usually with the pattern in warp-faced satin weave and the ground in weft-faced or sateen weave...
weavers, of Großschönau
Großschönau, Saxony
Großschönau is a municipality in the district Görlitz, in Saxony, Germany located in the Cross-border region with the Czech Republic. It used to be a famous Upper Lusatian center of Damask fabric production until the end of the 1980s...
, near Zittau
Zittau
Zittau is a city in the south east of the Free State of Saxony, Germany, close to the border tripoint of Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic. , there are 28,638 people in the city. It is part of the Görlitz district....
in Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
. Together with his five sisters, he was tutored by his father in arithmetic, writing, reading and also learnt the trade of Damask weaving. He showed an early talent for painting and drawing, and was sent away at the age of twelve to study art in Dresden, where he was also employed as a lawyer's clerk. Through the help of a pupil of Anton Raphael Mengs
Anton Raphael Mengs
Anton Raphael Mengs was a German painter, active in Rome, Madrid and Saxony, who became one of the precursors to Neoclassical painting.- Biography :Mengs was born in 1728 at Ústí nad Labem in Bohemia...
, he was accepted at the Dresden art school.
Here, Schenau was taught by Charles-François de Silvestre, the son of the director of the school, Louis de Silvestre
Louis de Silvestre
Louis de Silvestre was a French portrait and history painter. He was court painter to King Augustus II of Poland, and director of the Royal Academy of Arts in Dresden.-Life and work:...
. In 1756, after the outbreak of the Seven Years War, he accompanied the Sylvestre brothers to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, where he stayed until 1770, working at the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture with, amongst others, Johann Georg Wille
Johann Georg Wille
Johann Georg Wille was a notable German copper engraver active in Germany and France....
. He became acquainted with leading French artists of the day, such as François Boucher
François Boucher
François Boucher was a French painter, a proponent of Rococo taste, known for his idyllic and voluptuous paintings on classical themes, decorative allegories representing the arts or pastoral occupations, intended as a sort of two-dimensional furniture...
, Gabriel François Doyen
Gabriel François Doyen
Gabriel François Doyen was a French painter, who was born at Paris.His passion for art prevailed over his father's wish, and he became in his twelfth year a pupil of Charles-André van Loo. Making rapid progress, he obtained at twenty the Grand Prix de Rome, and in 1748 set out for Rome...
, Maurice Quentin de La Tour
Maurice Quentin de La Tour
Maurice Quentin de La Tour was a French Rococo portraitist who worked primarily with pastels. Among his most famous subjects were Voltaire, Rousseau, Louis XV and Madame de Pompadour.-Biography:...
and Edmé Bouchardon
Edmé Bouchardon
Edmé Bouchardon was a French sculptor, esteemed in his day as the greatest sculptor of his time and valued as a draughtsman as well.-Biography:...
; he was particularly influenced by the work of Jean-Baptiste Greuze
Jean-Baptiste Greuze
Jean-Baptiste Greuze was a French painter.-Early life:He was born at Tournus, Saône-et-Loire. He is generally said to have formed his own talent; this is, however, true only in the most limited sense, for at an early age his inclinations, though thwarted by his father, were encouraged by a...
. Schenau copied the works of the old master
Old Master
"Old Master" is a term for a European painter of skill who worked before about 1800, or a painting by such an artist. An "old master print" is an original print made by an artist in the same period...
s such as Antonio da Correggio
Antonio da Correggio
Antonio Allegri da Correggio , usually known as Correggio, was the foremost painter of the Parma school of the Italian Renaissance, who was responsible for some of the most vigorous and sensuous works of the 16th century...
, Guido Reni
Guido Reni
Guido Reni was an Italian painter of high-Baroque style.-Biography:Born in Bologna into a family of musicians, Guido Reni was the son of Daniele Reni and Ginevra de’ Pozzi. As a child of nine, he was apprenticed under the Bolognese studio of Denis Calvaert. Soon after, he was joined in that...
and Titian
Titian
Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio (c. 1488/1490 – 27 August 1576 better known as Titian was an Italian painter, the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, near...
, and acquired the patronage of the Saxon ambassador, General Fontenay. He also became a china
Porcelain
Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...
painter, working at the porcelain factory in Sèvres
Sèvres
Sèvres is a commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris.The town is known for its porcelain manufacture, the Manufacture nationale de Sèvres, making the famous Sèvres porcelain, as well as being the location of the International Bureau of Weights...
, taking on, in addition, the roles of goldsmith
Goldsmith
A goldsmith is a metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Since ancient times the techniques of a goldsmith have evolved very little in order to produce items of jewelry of quality standards. In modern times actual goldsmiths are rare...
, engraver and sculptor.
Through the influence of his mentor, Charles-François de Silvestre, or his wife, the teacher and confidante of the Dauphine Maria Josepha, Schenau was introduced to the French court; he received many commissions from the Crown Princess of France and was soon the most respected genre painter
Genre painting
Genre works, also called genre scenes or genre views, are pictorial representations in any of various media that represent scenes or events from everyday life, such as markets, domestic settings, interiors, parties, inn scenes, and street scenes. Such representations may be realistic, imagined, or...
in Paris. He painted portraits of, amongst others, Maria Josepha and Madame de Pompadour
Madame de Pompadour
Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour, also known as Madame de Pompadour was a member of the French court, and was the official chief mistress of Louis XV from 1745 to her death.-Biography:...
.
In 1770, at the end of the Seven Years' War, Schenau went back to Dresden. In that year he became a member of the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts and, three years later, the Director of the drawing school of the porcelain factory in Meissen
Meissen
Meissen is a town of approximately 30,000 about northwest of Dresden on both banks of the Elbe river in the Free State of Saxony, in eastern Germany. Meissen is the home of Meissen porcelain, the Albrechtsburg castle, the Gothic Meissen Cathedral and the Meissen Frauenkirche...
. In Meissen, he taught students not only drawing on china, but also created new designs.
In 1774, he became professor of genre and portrait painting at the Dresden Art Academy. After the death of Charles François Hutin
Charles Francois Hutin
Charles Francois Hutin was a French history and figure painter, engraver and sculptor. He became director of the Royal Academy of Arts in Dresden.-Life and work:Hutin was born in Paris in 1715...
, in 1776, he was made, together with Giovanni Battista Casanova
Giovanni Battista Casanova
Giovanni Battista Casanova was an Italian painter and printmaker of the Neoclassic period. He was a brother of Giacomo Casanova and Francesco Giuseppe Casanova and was born at Venice...
, alternate director of the Academy and on Casanova's death in 1795, the sole director. Among his students were Christian Henry Becke, Friedrich Rehberg
Friedrich Rehberg
Friedrich Rehberg was a German portrait and historical painter.-Life and work:Rehberg was born into a middle-class protestant family in Hanover in 1758, the son of a secretary for the estates of Calenberg . His elder brother, August Wilhelm Rehberg , became a notable politician, philosopher and...
and Christian Leberecht Vogel
Christian Leberecht Vogel
Christian Leberecht Vogel was a German painter, draughtsman and writer on art theory. His pupils included Louise Seidler, and he was the father of the court painter and art professor Carl Christian Vogel....
; amongst his admirers was the writer August Gottlieb Meissner, who dedicated his book Alcibiades (1781) to the artist. In 1796 Schenau returned from the Meissen porcelain factory and devoted the following years to teaching at the Art Academy.
Schenau died in 1806 in Dresden. His grave was originally located in St. John's
St John's Church, Dresden
St John's Church was a church building constructed in Dresden for the expatriate American community in 1883 to 1884. It was damaged by bombing in 1945 and demolished in 1959....
churchyard but, after the secularization of the cemetery in 1858, was moved to the cemetery in Großschönau.
Artistic style
Schenau began his artistic career as a copyist of old masters. In Paris he became acquainted with contemporary painters, but also through his studies at the Académie royale was influenced by French art theory of the time. His work also reveals the influence of the Dutch FijnschilderFijnschilder
The Fijnschilders , also called the Leiden Fijnschilders , were Dutch Golden Age painters who, from about 1630 to 1710, strove to create as natural a reproduction of reality as possible in their meticulously executed, often small-scale works.Although in the seventeenth century, as in modern Dutch,...
s, such as Gerard Dou
Gerard Dou
Gerrit Dou , also known as Gerard and Douw or Dow, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, whose small, highly-polished paintings are typical of the Leiden fijnschilders...
and Caspar Netscher
Caspar Netscher
Caspar Netscher was a Dutch portrait and genre painter. He was a master in depicting oriental rugs, silk and brocade and introduced an international style to the Northern Netherlands.-Life:...
.
His work was also influenced by his French friends, such as Jean Siméon Chardin, and, especially, Jean-Baptiste Greuze
Jean-Baptiste Greuze
Jean-Baptiste Greuze was a French painter.-Early life:He was born at Tournus, Saône-et-Loire. He is generally said to have formed his own talent; this is, however, true only in the most limited sense, for at an early age his inclinations, though thwarted by his father, were encouraged by a...
. Many of his drawings and paintings were reproduced as copper engraving reproductions for mass sale. Under the name Daniel Heimlich, Schenau also published etchings of views from the area around Paris.
Many of his works are now lost or destroyed, such as the altarpiece of the Holy Cross Church
Kreuzkirche
The Church of the Cross in Dresden is the largest church in Saxony, and home to the Dresdner Kreuzchor boy choir. Known since the early 12th century, it was officially dedicated on 10 June 1388 to the Holy Cross. Since 1491, it has burned down five times...
in Dresden, which he had worked on from 1788-1792; a fire in 1897 destroyed the nave and the altar which was replaced by a work by Anton Dietrich
Anton Dietrich
Anton Dietrich was a German painter. At 14, Dietrich came to the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts, where he was student of sculptors, including Ernst Julius Hähnel...
(1833-1904).
Most of his surviving works are now in museums in Saxony. A few of his works, such as "Elector of Saxony's Family" (1772) and "The Art Discussion" (1777), can be found in the Dresden State Art Collections
Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden
Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden is a cultural institution in Dresden, Germany, owned by the State of Saxony. It belongs to the most renowned and oldest museum institutions in the world, originating from the collections of the Saxon electors in the 16th century .Today, the Dresden State Art...
. Many works are in the "Deutsches Damast-und Frottiermuseum" in his hometown of Großschönau.
Example: Das Kunstgespräch (The Art Discussion)
This important work of 1777 shows, in the foreground on the right, the Saxon statesman, Thomas Fritsch (1700-1775), together with Christian Ludwig von Hagedorn, art theorist and collector. Both are engrossed in a conversation about art. On the table between them, allegorical figures representing painting, sculpture and poetry can be seen. Amongst those listening in the background are painters Adrian ZinggAdrian Zingg
Adrian Zingg was a Swiss painter.-References:*This article was initially translated from the German Wikipedia....
(left), Schenau himself and Anton Graff
Anton Graff
Anton Graff was an eminent Swiss portrait artist. Among his famous subjects were Friedrich Schiller, Christoph Willibald Gluck, Heinrich von Kleist, Frederick the Great, Johann Gottfried Herder and Christian Felix Weisse...
.
Other works
- Der doppelte Verlust (1770)
- Die kurfürstlich-sächsische Familie (1772)
- Priamus bittet Achilles um die Leiche Hektors (1775)
- Das Kunstgespräch (1777)
- Ehepaar in der Laube (1785)
- Selbstportrait (1785)
- Auferstehung Christi (1786)
- Kreuzigung Christi (1788–1792)
- Christus am Ölberg (1795)
- Familienszene (1800)
- Unterzeichnung des Ehevertrages (1802)
External links
- Johann Eleazar Schenau online (Artcyclopedia)
- Johann Eleazar Schenau on Artnet
- Engravings after Schenau (Moteur Collections, Culture.fr)
- Prints by Schenau (Grosvenor prints)
- L'Origine de la Peinture: une famille dessinant des ombres chinoises (Christie'sChristie'sChristie's is an art business and a fine arts auction house.- History :The official company literature states that founder James Christie conducted the first sale in London, England, on 5 December 1766, and the earliest auction catalogue the company retains is from December 1766...
) - Biography of Schenaus von Kai Wenzel in the " Sächsischen Biografie" (in german)
- Auferstehung Christi, altarpiece of the church of Großschönau