Johann Heinrich Tischbein the Elder

JOHANN HEINRICH TISCHBEIN THE OLD (Germany, 1722-1789)
"Coriolanus in the camp of the Volscians."
Oil on canvas.
Relined.
With frame.
Measurements: 158 x 120 cm.

The work represents a moment in Roman history in which Caius Martius Coriolanus, an exiled Roman general, joins the Volscians, enemies of Rome, and prepares to attack his own city. We see Coriolanus wearing a helmet and armor, raising his hand in a gesture of supplication or oath, while his mother, Veturia, and his wife, Volumnia, along with their children, beg him not to attack Rome.

The painting is a superb example of the transitional style that dominated European art in the second half of the 18th century, a period in which the ornate and gallant sensibility of Rococo gave way to the moral severity and formal clarity of Neoclassicism. Tischbein the Elder, as one of the leading German artists of his time, is masterfully situated at this stylistic crossroads.

The story of Coriolanus, drawn from Plutarch's Lives and Titus Livy's history of Rome, is an example of civic virtue. The conflict between family loyalty (filial piety) and duty to one's country was a moral dilemma that fascinated the Enlightenment mentality, which looked to classical antiquity for models of behavior and government.

Tischbein organizes the characters in the manner of a classical relief or theatrical scene. The figures are arranged in the foreground, avoiding excessive depth so as not to distract from the main drama. Coriolanus' gesture forms the apex of a compositional pyramid, anchoring the scene. The interrelation of the figures is precise and legible: the supplication of his wife Volumnia, who embraces him, and the presence of his mother Veturia create a dramatic tension that is the narrative core of the work.

Johann Heinrich Tischbein the Elder was a German painter, known for his portraits, mythological scenes and historical paintings, being one of the most respected European painters of the 18th century.

Tischbein was one of the most respected European painters of the 18th century and an important member of the Tischbein family of German painters, which spanned three generations. His work consisted mainly of portraits of the nobility, mythological scenes and historical paintings. For his mythological paintings, his models were mostly members of the high nobility. He studied painting with Johann Georg von Freese (1701-1775), after which he worked in the service of small princely courts. In 1743, thanks to the patronage of Count Johann Philipp von Stadion, he was able to go to Paris and study with Carle van Loo. In 1749, he traveled to Venice to study with Giovanni Battista Piazzetta, and then spent a year in Rome. In 1753, he was appointed court painter to William VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel. During the Seven Years' War, he fled the advancing French army and lived in various places until the occupation ended in 1762. Upon his return, he was appointed professor at the new Collegium Carolinum in Kassel.