Johann Heinrich Wilhelm Tischbein

Who was Johann Heinrich Wilhelm Tischbein?

Johann Heinrich Wilhelm Tischbein, also known as Goethe-Tischbein, was a German painter. He was a descendant of the Tischbein family of painters, and a pupil of his uncle Johann Jacob Tischbein.

Tischbein was born at Haina, in what is now Hesse. Like many contemporary colleagues, he moved to Rome for some years. During his first stay in Rome his style changed from Rococo to Neoclassicism. He painted landscapes, historical scenes and still lifes. His second stay in Rome lasted 16 years. He met Johann Wolfgang von Goethe there in 1786, made friends with him and accompanied him to Naples in 1787. Later, Goethe recounted this travel in his Italian Journey.

Also in 1787, Tischbein painted his most famous work, a portrait of Goethe as a traveler in the Roman Campagna. There is also a portrait by this artist in the National Museum of Art of Romania.

From 1808, Tischbein was a painter at the court of Oldenburg in Northern Germany. He died at Eutin in 1829.