Artist. Born in the small town of Mensenschwad in Germany's Black Forest, Winterhalter left home to study painting at the Academy of Monaco. He painted portraits for the Duke and Duchess of Baden in 1835, and his career was launched. Soon he was in high demand by the royalty and nobility of Europe and Russia. He was a favourite of Queen Victoria, for whom he created at least 120 works. He became the official portraitist for Emperor Napoleon III and the court of France, and for King Louis-Philippe. Despite the favor he enjoyed in noble circles and royal courts, he never received high praise from serious art critics, and was never very popular in his native Germany. Sometimes dismissed as being glossy, romantic, and superficial, his work has, in the last two decades, begun to come into the limelight again and attract new admirers. One of his most recognized portraits is that of Countess Barbe Rimsky-Korsakova. Winterhalter died at Frankfurt am Main at the age of 68.
Artist. Born in the small town of Mensenschwad in Germany's Black Forest, Winterhalter left home to study painting at the Academy of Monaco. He painted portraits for the Duke and Duchess of Baden in 1835, and his career was launched. Soon he was in high demand by the royalty and nobility of Europe and Russia. He was a favourite of Queen Victoria, for whom he created at least 120 works. He became the official portraitist for Emperor Napoleon III and the court of France, and for King Louis-Philippe. Despite the favor he enjoyed in noble circles and royal courts, he never received high praise from serious art critics, and was never very popular in his native Germany. Sometimes dismissed as being glossy, romantic, and superficial, his work has, in the last two decades, begun to come into the limelight again and attract new admirers. One of his most recognized portraits is that of Countess Barbe Rimsky-Korsakova. Winterhalter died at Frankfurt am Main at the age of 68.
Bio by: Kristen Conrad
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See more Winterhalter memorials in:
Records on Ancestry
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