Another Viennese miniature painter whose work we illustrate is Moritz
Michael Daffinger, who has been called the Austrian Isabey, but these
comparisons, like that applied to Füger, are of little significance.
What is of special interest with regard to Daffinger is the fact that he
adopted the manner of Sir Thomas Lawrence as his own. Lawrence visited
Vienna in 1814, and was received with great honour. While there he
painted some portraits. Daffinger admired his work immensely, and
undoubtedly some of his best miniatures are reminiscent of Lawrence.
Especially is this the case with a beautiful girl's portrait
from the collection of another Viennese collector, Gräfin Emma
Wilczek-Emo-Capodilista; and for permission to illustrate this
delightful miniature (Plate LIV.) we are particularly grateful, as it is
a charming specimen of the best work of the nineteenth century, a
pleasing portrait, and very agreeable in its colour scheme.
Daffinger had many pupils, and one of them, Emanuel Peter, exceeded all
the rest in skill. We illustrate two clever portraits by him (Plate
LV.), from Dr. Figdor's collection, in which the ladies are wearing very
decorative head-dresses. It is suggested that the two fair sitters were
relatives, probably cousins, and were painted for some exceptional
occasion, perhaps a masquerade, as the custom to wear fantastic
head-dresses for such special entertainments still prevails in Vienna.
Finally we must mention Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller, whose own portrait
by himself appears on Plate LVI. He was one of Lampi's pupils, but, like
Daffinger, a profound admirer of Sir Thomas Lawrence. His early days
were one continual struggle, and he earned his living by painting
bon-bon boxes, and by giving lessons in drawing in girls' schools, until
his skill was recognised and he had won a position for himself in
Vienna. He even went on the stage in a travelling troupe with his
beautiful wife, who was an actress, but forced the attention of critics
by his splendid portrait studies, and at length was appointed curator of
the Lamberg Gallery, became a popular portrait painter, and died in 1865
justly esteemed for his skill and ability.
Our survey of this fascinating art of the miniature painter has
necessarily been brief. There is still a good deal of information to be
gathered up concerning the eighteenth-century artists, and probably some
of their descendants possess papers and records of vast interest, hidden
away amongst family treasures. Perchance this essay may encourage some
of them to make the necessary search, and so add to the information
available on the lives and careers, especially of our English miniature
painters.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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