Joseph Willibrord Mähler (10 June 1778 – 20 June 1860) was a German painter.[1] He was born in Koblenz-Ehrenbreitstein, the son of Franz Josef Mähler and Anna Johanna, née Vacano. He first served an apprenticeship in Dresden with Anton Graff to become a painter and later on, he continued with his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. Mähler then decided to start a civil career, and he became an officer of the Secret Service Geheime Kabinettskanzlei (secret chancellery) in Vienna, while painting in his spare time.[citation needed]
Around 1815, Mähler produced a series of portraits showing contemporary Viennese composers. As written in the Allgemeine Musikzeitung (General music journal) in August 1815, "all of them distinguish themselves in a most creditable way through the effectual brush stroke, the descriptive resemblance and the distinctive expression of their soul". A half-length portrait of Beethoven was part of the series. The painter created several versions of this portrait.[2][3] He died, aged 82, in Vienna.
