Johann Baptist Lampi the Elder (1751-1830)

Johann Baptist Lampi the Elder (1751-1830) received his initial art education under the guidance of his father, Mathias Lampi, then perfected with Koenig and Unterberger in Salzburg, at Lorenzi in Verona.

Already at this time he wrote ceiling lamps, altar image for churches, historical paintings and portraits, in developing their talent hard work. His success was so fast that the Verona Academy of Arts elected him as a member when he was barely 25 years old.

In 1783, Lampi arrived in Vienna, where he soon became a favorite portraitist of the court and the nobility, and performed, among other things, a large portrait of Emperor Joseph II (located in Vienna Acad. Arts) and two excellent portrait of the family c. Potocki. In 1786 he was appointed professor and member of the board of the Vienna Academy.

 The following year, at the invitation of King Stanislaus Augustus, went to Warsaw. Here, they were filled with portraits of the emperor and many people of Polish and Lithuanian nobility. Prince Potemkin, who was then in Moldova, has invited the artist, in Iasi, where he painted portraits Bezborodko Princess Galitzine (Potemkin's niece, born Engelhardt), the ruler of the Potemkin and his office Popov. After the last Empress Catherine II invited him to St. Petersburg. His first work here was a portrait of the great monarch life-size and full-length. In addition to one-time fee of 12,000 rubles., Lampi got him from the Empress annual maintenance of 7,000 rubles. and 400 ducats to reimbursement upon arrival in St. Petersburg and the way back to Vienna.

In Russia Lampi spent six years (1792-98), taking advantage of the favor of Catherine and her successor on the throne, all persons portrayed the royal family and many Russian dignitaries and courtiers (Book PA Zubov, c. AI Musin-Pushkin , AB Kurakin Lumpy I. Lazarev, c. Zavadovskiy PV, Nikolai Yusupov, c. Samoilov, PI Melissino, C. J. Buehler, etc.) and had a significant impact on Some Russian artists, especially in the D. Levitsky and B. Borovykovs'kogo . In 1794, our Academy of Arts recognized him as their honorary member.

Returning to Vienna, he continued to work tirelessly, was built, together with a downward offspring in the noble rank and was awarded the title of honorary citizen of the city. In 1822, retired, but still did not part with a brush, helping in the work of his eldest son.

The ability to effectively put the nature and embellish it, without prejudice to the similarity with reality, pleasant, harmonious, although somewhat arbitrary coloring, free admission letters, especially skillful in playing draperies and other ado - make up the dignity of portraits of the artist, who, in general, can considered one of the best masters of portrait painters of his time. As for examples of his paintings, you can specify the portraits of Catherine II (the Winter Palace and the Mining Institute), Empress Maria Feodorovna (in Pavlovsk, the palace), led. Prince. Alexander and Constantine Pavlovich (in the Romanov Gallery of the Hermitage), led. Prince. Maria Pavlovna, Grand. Prince. Olga Pavlova (in the Gatchina Palace), c. AI Musin-Pushkin (in the Museum of Fine Arts Academy), and some of which are in private ownership in St. Petersburg. and Moscow.