Johann Christoph Fesel

Christoph Fesel, portrait by Johann Elias Haid

Johann Christoph Fesel (also Christoph Fesel ; born July 14, 1737 in Ochsenfurt ; † October 25, 1805 in Würzburg ) was the last court painter to the Prince-Bishops of Würzburg between 1768 and 1803 . After secularization, Fesel worked for Elector Maximilian IV. Joseph as a painting inspector and inventoried the holdings of the Prince -Bishop's collections. He also worked as a painter for private and church clients.

Life

Youth and Promotion (until 1755)

Johann Christoph Fesel was born on July 14, 1737 in Ochsenfurt. His father, Johann Michael Fesel, came from nearby Eibelstadt and came to the Würzburg district as a barber and city surgeon . The mother Apollonia Katharina Fesel, née Horn, came from Ochsenfurt. Johann Christoph was the couple's first and only son; only three of the five sisters reached adulthood.

Johann Christoph was supposed to learn his father's profession first, but the boy's artistic talent became apparent between the ages of eight and nine. Johann Christoph was allowed to practice drawing and painting with a local landscape painter . At the age of ten, a painting of his was exhibited in the parish church in Eibelstadt for the first time . It is unclear whether an officer discovered the boy there and brought him to the diocese metropolis of Würzburg in order to promote his skills.

Fesel was first recorded in Würzburg between 1749 and 1750. The ruling Prince-Bishop Karl Philipp von Greiffenclau zu Vollrads sponsored the budding artist. Johann Christoph was apprenticed to the then court painter Franz Ignaz Roth, who was more of a craftsman than an artist. However, Roth had connections to the workshop of Giovanni Battista Tiepolo , who stuccoed the imperial hall and the staircase of the newly built residence between 1750 and 1753 .

In Vienna and Rome (until 1767)

After the death of Prince-Bishop Karl Philipp, Adam Friedrich von Seinsheim was elected Duke of Franconia in 1755 . He further promoted the next generation of art. In early 1756 Fesel was sent to Vienna by the prince-bishop , where he stayed for a year. He probably first learned from the director of the academy, Paul Troger , before receiving lessons from Martin van Meytens and Franz Anton Palko . However, there is no direct evidence of Fesel's time in Vienna.

Johann Christoph Fesel returned to Würzburg in 1757, probably because he was not accepted into the academy . He asked the prince-bishop to be able to continue his studies in Italy and set off between 1757 and 1758 with 75 ducats of travel money from Adam Friedrich von Seinsheim. Fesel first moved to Venice , where he visited the Tiepolo's workshop. How long he stayed in the lagoon city is unclear.

Fesel reached Rome between 1758 and June 1760 . There the artist was initially hindered in his work because the bishop did not receive any donations. No further payments were made until after four weeks of waiting. Fesel's first port of call was Anton Raphael Meng's house , who had a small salon. From Easter 1762 the artist lived in Mengs' Villa Vittoria with Anton Maron and Giovanni Casanova . He may also be in charge of the studio.

In 1763 Fesel left the villa and moved into the workshop of Pompeo Batoni . It is uncertain whether Fesel was already employed there. In Rome, the Franconian developed friendships with several famous artists, including Raimondo Ghelli, Tommaso Conca and Carlo Giuseppe Ratti. No works from this creative period have survived either. It is unclear whether Fesel also traveled to Greece . However, he certainly returned to Würzburg at the end of 1767.

Court painter in Würzburg (until 1803)

The court painter Franz Anton Ermeltraut had died and Prince Bishop Adam Friedrich forced Johann Christoph Fesel to succeed him. On January 8, 1768 he was appointed "Princely Würtzburg Cammer Servant and Cabinets Mahlery Inspector". He received an annual salary and special payments. Therefore he was able to marry Anna Dorothea Kilian on January 30th, 1769 in Schlüsselfeld . The painter probably lived there for the next few years.

The painting by Prince-Bishop Georg Karl is the last painting commissioned by the court

After his employment, Fesel soon worked on the interior construction of the northern wing of the residence and restored the prince-bishop's art collection. On July 6, 1769, he was appointed full member of the Accademia di San Luca in Rome in absentia . Apart from the colorful name, the painter did not have to take on any obligations with the appointment. Fesel called himself a professor in the years to come , probably to underline his affiliation with the academy.

Around 1771 Fesel was called to Bamberg . He was supposed to work there on the fresco for the Church of St. Jacob . This is probably one of the reasons why he lived in Bamberg at times. The Fesel family moved to Würzburg by 1776 at the latest. It was not until August 27, 1789 that Fesel and his wife received citizenship in the royal seat . He moved to today's Augustinerstraße in the Hof zum Ritter and bought vineyards outside the city. Due to the expensive residential area, a good order situation for the artist can be assumed.

After Franz Ludwig von Erthal became the new Würzburg prince-bishop in 1773 , the state's orders declined. Fesel accepted more commissioned works from churches and monasteries. In 1779 he painted an altarpiece for the parish church in Gerolzhofen and between 1783 and 1784 worked for the Cistercian monks in Ebrach and the Augustinian canons in Heidenfeld . The portrait of the Abbot of Oberzell, Christoph Kroh, from 1786 can be regarded as the highlight of his work.

For the prince-bishop, Fesel became more and more an architectural advisor. In 1792 Johann Christoph Fesel first published an art theoretical work and also emerged as an author. At the same time he had a workshop in Würzburg modeled on the Mengs family. The twin brothers Gerhard and Karl von Kügelgen , Joseph Karl Stieler , Conrad Geiger , Margarethe Geiger , Georg Andreas Hofmann, Christian Kehrer and many others are considered to be Fesel's pupils .

With the inauguration of Georg Karl von Fechenbach as the new prince-bishop in 1795, the focus was again on the work of the bishop. The official portrait of the Prince-Bishop, which was created in 1796, is Fesel's last work for the court. The painter probably traveled a lot now, but all visits are unsafe. Perhaps he met the painter Jacques-Louis David on one of his trips and served as an art agent for some nobles.

Around 1800 Fesel applied for the position of art director of the royal-imperial academy in Prague , but Joseph Bergler the Younger was accepted . Johann Christoph Fesel's main focus was still on ecclesiastical art, for example a fresco for the seminary church of St. Michael in Würzburg was created between 1796 and 1798 . Nevertheless, he also increasingly took on private commissions, so that a third of his oeuvre represents profane art.

In Kurpfalz-Bavaria (until 1805)

From 1802 the influence of Electoral Palatinate Bavaria on the Hochstift grew . In the course of secularization , it was finally dissolved in 1803 and became part of the electorate. The new rulers planned to move the most important works of art from the collegiate collections to the new capital, Munich . Fesel lost his position as court painter, but was soon accepted into Bavarian services. It is unclear whether the employment was preceded by an application.

Johann Christoph Fesel was, probably still in 1803, “electoral Palatinate: Bavarian painting inspector ” and received adequate payment. The artist was supposed to inventory the works in the Hochstift and from then on also worked as a dealer. Fesel visited all the monasteries in the Hochstift, with the exception of the abbeys in Münsterschwarzach and Ebrach, in order to identify the most valuable pieces. All paintings were brought to Munich by 1804.

At that time the painter was already seriously ill and probably had his eldest son Caspar Carl help him in his work. At the end of 1804, Christoph Fesel was still visiting some monasteries, although at that time the loss of his sight was already well advanced. On October 25, 1809, Johann Christoph Fesel died of a nervous attack in Würzburg at the age of 69 and was buried on October 27 in the cemetery in front of the Sandertor .

Marriage and offspring

On January 30, 1769, Johann Christoph Fesel married Anna Dorothea Kilian (1748-1817) in Schlüsselfeld, who was the daughter of the local forest manager. A total of eight children were born to the couple, but not all of them reached adulthood. The firstborn son Caspar Carl followed in his father's footsteps as a painter.

• Maria Josepha (* around 1769 in NN; † November 16, 1773 in Ochsenfurt)
• Caspar Carl (born July 15, 1775 in Würzburg; † December 5, 1846 there)
• Johann Bartholomäus (born July 29, 1776 in Würzburg; † NN)
• Johann Michael Joseph Martin (born March 28, 1778 in Würzburg; † March 4, 1779 ibid)
• Maria Anna (* February 8, 1780 in Würzburg; † February 13, 1780 there)
• Maria Barbara (* August 8, 1783 in Würzburg; † May 26, 1853 there)
• Josepha (born August 23, 1784 in Würzburg; † NN)
• Anna Josepha (born October 17, 1785 in Würzburg; † February 3, 1787 ibid)

Works (selection)

Secured works

presentation	Location	year	technology	Dimensions in centimeters	Remarks
Chinese pavilions	Veitshoechheim , Schlossgarten left	1769	fresco	unknown	Two pavilions in the southeast of the garden. Exotic scenes of parrots, palm trees etc. Removed before 1911.
Madonna	Rome , Accademia di San Luca	1769	Oil on canvas	70 × 60	Half-length portrait of Mary with Jesus. Submitted for admission to the academy. In the tradition of the Roman school.
Saint Jacob confessing the name Jesus before Herod	Bamberg , St. Jakob	1771 to 1773	fresco	unknown	Fresco in the crossing dome. Figures just below the base of the dome. Possibly based on the model of Martin Knoller in Neresheim Monastery .
tea house	Veitshöchheim, palace garden	1773	fresco	unknown	Pavilion above the grotto house, ceiling fresco. Putti and Apollo in the sun chariot. Forms a link between Rococo and Classicism.
Penitent Mary Magdalene	Würzburg , residence	around 1778	Oil on oak	109.6 x 76.8	Maria Magdalena sitting on a ledge. In the background landscape. Suggestions probably in Rome, from Mengs, Batoni.
John the Baptist	Würzburg, residence	around 1778	Oil on oak	116.8 x 76.8	Young Johannes is sitting in a cave. The outstretched left hand points to the landscape. Suggestions probably in Rome, from Mengs, Batoni.
Two pieces from the cycle The Creation of the World	Werneck , Castle Loss of War	around 1778	Oil on canvas	unknown	Additions to the work of Johann Peter Molitor from 1751.
Coronation of Mary	Gerolzhofen , St. Maria vom Rosenkranz and St. Regiswindis	around 1779	Oil on canvas	approx. 450 × 250	In the center of the picture kneeling Maria. From above she receives the heavenly crown from Jesus and God the Father. Above it the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove. Image tradition of the South German Baroque.
Draft tomb for Adam Friedrich von Seinsheim	Würzburg, cathedral	around 1779	Marble and alabaster	H. approx. 400	One of the last great grave monuments of the 18th century. Fesel's design was implemented by Johann Peter Wagner with slight changes.
The sacrifice of Iphigenia	Worms , Herrnsheim Castle	1781	Oil on canvas	200.5 x 300	In the center a priest, in front of him a woman. On the left a Roman officer. Surrounded by several groups of figures.
Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian	Ebrach , former church of the Cistercian abbey	1783	Oil on canvas	217 × 130	Saint Sebastian is tied to a tree and strewn with arrows. In the background a group of three soldiers.
Abbot Christoph Kroh of Oberzell	Würzburg, Mainfränkisches Museum	1786	Oil on canvas	76.3 x 62.2	Originally known as Stefan Wolff Prior of the Tückelhausen Charterhouse. Bust of Abbot Christoph Kroh . First portrait of Johann Christoph Fesel.
Johannes Gutberlet (1748–1832)	Würzburg, Martin von Wagner Museum	1786	Oil on canvas	72 × 58	Half-length portrait of the doctor. Similar to Abbot Christoph Kroh von Oberzell.
Maria Gertrudis Gutberlet, née Stellwang	Würzburg, Martin von Wagner Museum	1786	Oil on canvas	72 × 58	Half-length portrait of the wife. Counterpart to Johannes Gutberlet.
Draft of the foundation relief of the Juliusspital	Würzburg, Juliusspital	1789/1791	unknown	unknown	Rectangular relief above the portal pavilion. Fesel's design was implemented in 1791 by Balthasar Heinrich Nickel.
Penitent Mary Magdalene	Pommersfelden , Weißenstein Castle	1792	Oil on walnut wood	78 × 57	Maria Magdalena sitting in a cave. Similarities to the Würzburg version from around 1778.
Martyrdom of St. Bartholomew	Würzburg, cathedral	1794	Oil on canvas	298 × 160	The saint sits on stone blocks wearing a loincloth. His arms are tied to a wooden frame. A soldier pulls the skin off his right hand. Recourse to baroque pictorial elements.
Martyrdom of St. Lawrence	Würzburg, cathedral, loss of war	1794	Oil on canvas	unknown	Laurentius is lifted onto a grate by three men. A ruler in the right center of the picture refers to an idol in the left edge of the picture. Recourse to the work of Clemens Anton Lünenschloß for the parish church of St. Peter and Paul.
Friedrich von Fechenbach zu Laudenbach	Bamberg, art dealer Christian Eduard Franke	1795	Oil on canvas	150 × 120	Full body picture of a little boy. Rifle in left hand, hat in right. Orientation towards baroque representational portraits.
Joseph Maria Schneidt (1727–1808)	Würzburg, Mainfränkisches Museum	1795	Oil on canvas	68.6 x 54.4	Half-length portrait of an elderly man. Similar to Abbot Christoph Kroh von Oberzell.
Maria Magdalena Josepha Therese Schneidt (1741–1799)	Würzburg, Mainfränkisches Museum	1795	Oil on canvas	69.4 x 56.3	Half-length portrait of an elderly woman. Counterpart to Joseph Maria Schneidt.
Georg Karl von Fechenbach	Berlin , German Historical Museum	probably 1796	Oil on canvas	155.5 x 121.5	Large-format knee of the last prince-bishop. In the tradition of baroque representational images.
Symbolic representation of the Christian faith	Würzburg, St. Michael Loss of war	1796 to 1798	fresco	unknown	Probably with Materno Bossi. Assigned to classicism.
Christoph Carl Freiherr von Dienheim	Mainz , Cathedral and Diocesan Museum	1798	Oil on canvas	71 × 57	Half-length portrait of an elderly man.
The robbery of the Sabine women	Würzburg, Martin von Wagner Museum	1801	Oil on canvas	102 × 132	Mythological scenery of the robbery of the Sabine women. Wild confusion in the foreground. In the background a temple. Possibly inspired by painting by Jacques-Louis David .
Penitent Mary Magdalene	Munich , Bavarian Palace and Lake Administration	1804	Oil on oak	56.5 x 84.9	Mary Magdalene lying in a cave.
Dr. Bonifaz Anton Oberthür	Würzburg, Mainfränkisches Museum	after 1804	Oil on canvas	69 × 59.5	Profile view of the sitter. According to a plaster plaque from the dead Oberthür.

Attributed works

presentation	Location	year	technology	Dimensions in centimeters	Remarks
Abbot Oswald Loschert of Oberzell	Würzburg, Mainfränkisches Museum	unknown	Oil on canvas	77.5 x 59.4	Bust of Abbot Oswald Loschert von Oberzell (1747–1785). Possibly only through the hand of a student.
Friedrich Karl Ludwig von Guttenberg	Würzburg, Mainfränkisches Museum	unknown	Oil on canvas	62.7 × 59	Half-length portrait of the sitter. Through stylistic and motivic comparisons, clearly assigned to Fesel.
Johann Michael Fesel	Würzburg, Mainfränkisches Museum	unknown	Oil on canvas	47.1 x 37.8	Half-length portrait of an elderly man with a curly wig. Great similarities to other portraits by Fezel.
Helena Barbara Fesel	Würzburg, Mainfränkisches Museum	unknown	Oil on canvas	47.1 x 37.9	Half-length portrait of an older woman with a hood and a shawl. Great similarities to other portraits by Fezel.
Playing putti	Würzburg, residence lost in war	1776 to 1778	Oil on canvas	approx. 133 × 80	In the middle distance two dancing putti. Fesel not named as the author. Comparable works available.
Portrait of a young lady	Würzburg, formerly Luitpold-Museum Loss of war	unknown	unknown	unknown	Half-length portrait of a young woman against a neutral background. Black and white picture available.
Assumption of Mary and Joseph with the baby Jesus	Wipfeld , St. Johannes	around 1783	Oil on canvas	unknown	Left and right side altars. Both paintings are dark in color. Parallels to the altar in Gerolzhofen.
Repentant Peter in dungeon	Ebrach, former church of the Cistercian abbey	1784	Oil on canvas	217 × 131	Peter in the dungeon. Hands folded in front of the face. Not clearly assigned.
Self-portrait with palette	Würzburg, Mainfränkisches Museum	1784	Oil on canvas	66.2 x 49.5	Half-length portrait of the artist turned to the right with palette. Very similar to the portraits by Mengs.
Self portrait	Würzburg, private collection	unknown	Oil on canvas	48.6 x 36.1	Half-length portrait of the artist turned to the right. Was created later as a self-portrait with a palette.
Madonna	Kleinochsenfurt , Maria Schnee	around 1793	Oil on canvas	unknown	Mary with baby Jesus floats in front of a church carried by angels. Refers to the so-called snow miracle. Originally in the Würzburg Cathedral. As a gift to Kleinochsenfurt.
Martyrdom of St. Lawrence	Würzburg, Neumunster	around 1794	Oil on canvas	H. approx. 140	Variant for the altarpiece of the cathedral. Possibly a draft for the sheet from 1794.
Georg Karl von Fechenbach	Würzburg, residence	after 1796	Oil on canvas	97.4 x 70.5	Half-length portrait of the Prince-Bishop. Great similarities to the representation of the prince-bishop by Fesel.
Apollonia Oehninger, b. Mustard	Remaining unknown, probably loss of war	1797	unknown	unknown	Half-length portrait of a woman sitting in an armchair. Black and white picture available.
Emmerich Joseph von Hettendorf	Mainz, State Museum	around 1803	Oil on canvas	66.5 × 55	Half-length portrait of a man in a dummy frame. Representation of the Würzburg cathedral capital (from 1784). Design motifs as in many of Fesel's portraits.
Jeanette Freifrau Fuchs von Bimbach, b. from Guttenberg	Guttenberg , Guttenberg Castle	around 1804	Oil on canvas	210 × 135	A woman in a white empire dress sits in a park-like landscape. Memory image. Resembles some of the paintings in Fesel's late work.

As an author

• Johann Christoph Fesel: Mahler theory or a short guide to the historical Mahlerey for beginners briefly described . Wurzburg 1792.

literature

• Marie-Luisa Hadaschik: Johann Christoph Fesel (1737–1805) - the last Würzburg court painter (= writings on art history, vol. 51). Diss . Hamburg 2015.
• Harry Heimann: Johann Christoph Fesel. High Princely Würzburg Cabinet Painter Member and real professor of the St. Lucca Academy in Rome, High Princely valet of the Prince-Bishops of Franconia, Elector Palatine Bavarian. Gallery inspector, portrait and history painter 1737–1805. The life picture of a Franconian painter at the turn from Rococo to Classicism. Diss . Kallmünz 1933.

Web links

Commons : Johann Christoph Fesel  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• WürzburgWiki: Johann Christoph Fesel

Individual evidence

1. ^ Hadaschik, Marie-Luisa: Johann Christoph Fesel . P. 30.
2. ^ Hadaschik, Marie-Luisa: Johann Christoph Fesel . P. 37.
3. ^ Heimann, Harry: Johann Christoph Fesel . P. 10.
4. ^ Hadaschik, Marie-Luisa: Johann Christoph Fesel . P. 56 f.
5. ^ Hadaschik, Marie-Luisa: Johann Christoph Fesel . P. 74.
6. ^ Heimann, Harry: Johann Christoph Fesel . Pp. 19-23.
7. ^ Heimann, Harry: Johann Christoph Fesel . P. 16.
8. ^ Hadaschik, Marie-Luisa: Johann Christoph Fesel . P. 75.
9. ^ Hadaschik, Marie-Luisa: Johann Christoph Fesel . P. 85.
10. ^ Heimann, Harry: Johann Christoph Fesel . P. 16.
11. ^ Hadaschik, Marie-Luisa: Johann Christoph Fesel . P. 401.
12. ^ Hadaschik, Marie-Luisa: Johann Christoph Fesel . Pp. 187-214.