August Schoefft

August Schoefft , also Josef August Schoefft , (* 1809 in Pest , † 1888 in London ) was a Hungarian - Austrian painter .

biography

He was the son of the altar painter Joseph Karl Schöfft (* around 1775 in Pest; † 1851 there), who gave him his first drawing lessons. After studying at the Vienna Academy in 1828 (as Josef Schoefft) and Munich Academy , he returned to his hometown in 1835, but in the following year he traveled to Bucharest, Odessa and Constantinople, where he worked as a portrait painter. From here he began a round trip that took him to Persia, among other places. Eventually he traveled to India, where he worked for princely houses for several years. Among other things, he made several portraits at the court of the Maharajah of Lahore.

He traveled to India and collected art treasures which he later wanted to exhibit along with his pictures. After stays in Rome 1844-46, Venice 1845 and Vienna 1855, where he exhibited his works in the Austrian Art Association, and Budapest, he settled in London, where he exhibited his works and collections. In 1863, however, he had to sell it.

From 1864 to 1866 he lived in North America and Mexico. In the end Schoefft died impoverished and mentally deranged.

Works (selection)

Grand Mughal of Delhi (around 1854)

Lahore Court (around 1850–1855)

His works give a good impression of the areas he has traveled and of their inhabitants. A number of his works can be seen in the Hungarian National Gallery in Budapest and in the Lahore Fort.

• Sappho , portrait of a woman (both oil, Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest)
• View of Calcutta
• A cafe in Belgrade
• Persian harem
• Mogul of Delhi
• A fakir in Agra
• Pannonia
• Crossing the Tigris
• Courtyard of Lahore (Princess Bamba Collection, Lahore Fort)
• Night in Venice with Palazzo Grassi

literature

• Ch. Gruber:  Schoefft (Schöfft), August. In: Austrian Biographical Lexicon 1815–1950 (ÖBL). Volume 11, Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Vienna 1999, ISBN 3-7001-2803-7 , p. 14.
• Bénézit;
• M. Eletr. Lex .;
• Müvészeti Lex. I;
• Müvészeti Lex. II;
• Revai;
• Thieme – Becker (see below Schoefft, painter family);
• Új M. Lex .;
• Wurzbach;
• JM Honigberger, fruits from the Orient or travel experiences ..., 1851, p. 173ff.
• W. Aichelburg, in: Morgen 64, 1989, p. 71ff.

Web links

Commons : August Schoefft  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Sikh Museum | August Schoefft the Artist (English)