Robert Theer (5 November 1808, Johannesberg – 15 July 1863, Vienna) was a painter and lithographer from the Austrian Empire. He is primarily remembered as a miniaturist.
He eventually specialized in portrait miniatures and was influenced by Moritz Michael Daffinger. By the age of sixteen, he opened his own studio.[4] He soon attracted an upper-class clientele.[5] He exhibited at the Academy from 1828, and became a member there in 1843.[4] The painter, Gustav Gaul [de], was one of his students.
His portraits, mostly done on vitreous enamel and ivory, numbered in the thousands. Occasionally, he would recreate the portraits as lithographs. A notable instance is that of the Emperor Ferdinand I, whose face was reproduced on over 150 snuff boxes. He also made copies of the Old Masters.[3]
His earnings were spent on acquiring a private art collection and acting as a patron to his underemployed artist friends. For example, he commissioned the engraver, Joseph Steinmüller (1795-1841) to create an intricate copy of the "Madonna del Prato" by Raphael. The increasing popularity of the daguerrotype decreased his income, however, and left him unable to meet his obligations.[3] He attempted to counter this trend by changing his style and introducing non-realistic elements, but this failed to slow his gradual impoverishment.[4]
Eduard Leisching, Die Bildnis-Miniatur in Oesterreich von 1750 bis 1850. Mit einer Einleitung über die allgemeinen Zustände der Kunstpflege in Oesterreich bis 1850 und über die Miniaturen in den anderen Ländern, Artaria, 1907
External links
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