Theobald Reinhold Freiherr von Oer (9 October 1807 – 1885 Coswig

Coswig, Saxony

Coswig is a town in the district of Meißen, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the right bank of the Elbe, approximately 9 km southeast of Meißen, and 13 km northwest of Dresden....

) was a German painter, illustrator and etcher. He is notable for his portraits, genre paintings and historic paintings.

Early life

Theobald von Oer, born at Haus Nottbeck, Stromberg

Stromberg, Oelde

Stromberg is a quarter of Oelde with 4558 inhabitants. It lies to the southeast of Oelde on Bundesstraße 61, in the district of Warendorf and the region of Münster. The Baroque philosopher Hermann Nicephorus and the 18th century artist Theobald von Oer were both born here.-External links:...

, was the son of a Westphalia

Westphalia

Westphalia is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Arnsberg, Bielefeld, Dortmund, Minden and Münster.Westphalia is roughly the region between the rivers Rhine and Weser, located north and south of the Ruhr River. No exact definition of borders can be given, because the name "Westphalia"...

n district administrator. His younger brother Maximilian Joseph Franz of Oer

Maximilian Joseph Franz of Oer

Maximilian Joseph Franz of Oer was a German author, baron, and older brother of the notable artist Theobald von Oer....

 (1806–1846) was a writer. Even in his childhood von Oer liked to paint and to draw, and was talented. At the age of 12, he fell ill with scarlet fever and lost his hearing as well as parts of his speech.

Adult life

At 19, von Oer started with studies at the Royal Academy of Arts Dresden (today the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts). He proved himself exceptionally talented and quickly changed to further studies to the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf

Kunstakademie Düsseldorf

The Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, formerly Staatliche Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, is the Arts Academy of the city of Düsseldorf. It is well known for having produced many famous artists, such as Joseph Beuys, Gerhard Richter, Sigmar Polke, Thomas Demand, and Andreas Gursky...

, under the teaching of W. von Schadow. In 1836, he and architect H. Matthäi travelled together through the Netherlands

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 and Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

, eventually arriving at 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...

, visiting various French

French people

The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...

 artists. In 1837 he travelled through Southern France into the Italian cities Rome

Rome

Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

, Capri

Capri

Capri is an Italian island in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrentine Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples, in the Campania region of Southern Italy...

, and Ischia

Ischia

Ischia is a volcanic island in the Tyrrhenian Sea. It lies at the northern end of the Gulf of Naples, about 30 km from the city of Naples. It is the largest of the Phlegrean Islands. Roughly trapezoidal in shape, it measures around 10 km east to west and 7 km north to south and has...

. His main emphasis was the art of painting historical scenes, however, he painted various landscapes and portraits. His journey to Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 also had much influence on his style, notably on his landscapes and portraits. After returning to Germany, he returned to 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....

, becoming a professor at the academy of the arts.The Princess Gallitzin with her friends from the year 1864, is one of his best known commissioned works. He died in 1885, in Coswig

Coswig

Coswig can refer to two towns in Germany, both on the river Elbe:*Coswig, Saxony, in the district of Meißen, Saxony*Coswig, Anhalt, in the district of Wittenberg, Saxony-Anhalt...

.