Johann Heinrich Wilhelm Tischbein

Born in 1751 into the famous Tischbein family of artists, he apprenticed at age 14 with his uncle, 'the Kassel Tischbein,' establishing his foundation as a portrait painter.¹

During his 1779 stay in Rome, his style shifted significantly from decorative Rococo to strict, idealistic Classicism, marking the most important turning point in his artistic career.¹

With a scholarship recommended by Goethe, he returned to Italy in 1783. He lived with Goethe in Rome and taught him to draw, fostering a deep friendship between the two.¹

Their shared apartment on Rome's Via del Corso is now the 'Casa di Goethe' museum, serving as a valuable site that preserves the interactions and daily lives of artists of that era.¹

His 1787 masterpiece 'Goethe in the Roman Campagna' depicts the author against ancient ruins and remains a world-renowned masterpiece of German Neoclassical portraiture.¹

For ten years starting in 1789, he served as the director of the Accademia di Belle Arti di Napoli, exerting great influence as both an educator and a researcher of ancient art.¹

While in Naples, he produced exquisite etchings and engravings based on Sir William Hamilton's collection of ancient Greek vases, contributing to the spread of Neoclassicism.¹

In 1799, caught in the political upheaval of the French invasion of Naples, he was forced to resign his directorship and leave Italy to return to Germany.¹

Beyond portraits, he illustrated Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. His attempts to visualize classical literature were highly regarded by the educated middle class of the time.¹

In his later years at Eutin Castle serving the Grand Duke of Oldenburg, he wrote his autobiography 'Aus meinem Leben,' a vital historical source on the art world and Goethe.¹