Beethoven portrait

[Peter]

I've had an enquiry about this Beethoven portrait - http://www.wisselnet.nl/paintings/04p03202.jpg

Does anyone know anything about it?

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'Man know thyself'

[Amalie]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Peter:
[B]I've had an enquiry about this Beethoven portrait - http://www.wisselnet.nl/paintings/04p03202.jpg

Does anyone know anything about it?

Though the particular features do not have a verisimilitude with what we know of Beethoven's face, there seems to me to be an overall Beethovenian appearance to it.
I am thinking particularly of the strong cast of the head, the immensely powerful forehead and the overall kind of swarthiness that was characteristic of him.
It is easy see why he was nicknamed the Spaniard with such dark features.
Of course it does raise the whole vexed question of what Beethoven really did look like, and who knows this particular portrait maybe more accurate because certainly as I understand it, the later images of Beethoven in canvass or print all tend to be rather different.
Some features of the more conventional images of the later Beethoven show very strong lines of the mouth, eyebrows, chin, etc. but it maybe that this is all wrong and that the more fluid lines of the portrait here are more accurate.
There is a strange parallel to my mind with images we have with Alexander the Great, where there was a tendency to show 'Lionized' features, which is in fact characteristic of the late portraits of Beethoven.

I have seen a similar portrait to this one somewhere on the net. I shall have to try and find it again.





[This message has been edited by Amalie (edited April 02, 2004).]

[heidi]

Originally posted by Peter:
I've had an enquiry about this Beethoven portrait - http://www.wisselnet.nl/paintings/04p03202.jpg

Does anyone know anything about it?

From a person who collects a lot of pictures and portraits of B, I have never seen this one. It was just recently posted on Ebay and listed, if I'm not mistaken, an antique. So I am interested as well if someone has more info.

[Pastorali]

I'm afraidly remembered to that eBay Doll!

[Joy]

Originally posted by Pastorali:
I'm afraidly remembered to that eBay Doll!

That scared me too! How come everyone's finding these odd Beethoven-like creatures?!!



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'Truth and beauty joined'

[spaceray]

This looks more like Schuppanzigh than it does Beethoven.The lips are too thin and there is too much jowl.

[Margaretha]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Joy:
[B] That scared me too! How come everyone's finding these odd Beethoven-like creatures?!!

I'd like to have a copy of the life mask. Of course my family would have a stroke.

[Pastorali]

My favorite by far, is Stieler's image of Beethoven: http://www.beethoven.li/seitenaufbau...traits/16.html

And then, for good fun, these two drawings: http://www.beethoven.li/seitenaufbau...isiert/08.html http://www.beethoven.li/seitenaufbau...isiert/09.html

[Joy]

Originally posted by Margaretha:


I'd like to have a copy of the life mask. Of course my family would have a stroke.

I wouldn't be surprised if you could find a copy of that on ebay as well!


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'Truth and beauty joined'

[Joy]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Pastorali:
[B]My favorite by far, is Stieler's image of Beethoven: http://www.beethoven.li/seitenaufbau_grafiks/bilder_gross/html_seiten/portraits/16.html

This is my favourite portrait of Beethoven too, Pastorali. Here's some information about it.
"The portrait of Beethoven painted by Joseph Carl Stieler in 1819-20, is one of the best known of the many portraits, which were painted of the composer. It was acquired by the brother of Louis Spohr at a raffle run by the Art Association of Brunswick. He valued the portrait highly because Stieler had assured him, when they had met at their friend Kaulbach's house in Munich, that he was the only painter to whom Beethoven had allowed sittings - and that, only at the specific wish of the composer's friends and patrons, the Brentanos. It is understood to be a very good likeness; only the hands had to be painted from memory, as Beethoven could not be persuaded to sit any longer.
The Stieler portrait was treasured and well cared for in the Spohr household. Permission for reproductions was not given until 30 years after the painter's death and the firm of Hanfstaengl, who made lithographic reproductions, were not able to produce their 'Aquarel' print until 1907. On Spohr's death, the painting was inherited by his daughter Rosalie, the Countess Sauerma, a well known harpist. It was through the mediation of the musicologist Max Friedländer that Henri Hinrichsen, proprietor of the music publishing company of C.F. Peters, Leipzig, was able to buy it for 25,000 M from the Countess Sauerma on 10 February 1909. It had pride of place as a symbol of the C.F. Peters tradition, in his private music room in 10 Talstrasse, Leipzig, the home of the Hinrichsen family and the business premises of C.F. Peters. A year later, he had a limited number of reproductions produced for presentation to a few selected friends. One of these was the composer Max Reger, whom he admired tremendously. Henri Hinrichsen was the one person who helped and supported the workaholic composer through many difficulties." The original now hangs in the Bonn House in Germany.

The other two pictures were very funny! I have never seen these!

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'Truth and beauty joined'

[Pastorali]

Thanks for info Joy!

[~Immortal Beloved~]

Originally posted by Joy:
That scared me too! How come everyone's finding these odd Beethoven-like creatures?!!

I have....didn't like them.

[~Immortal Beloved~]

Originally posted by Peter:
I've had an enquiry about this Beethoven portrait - http://www.wisselnet.nl/paintings/04p03202.jpg

Does anyone know anything about it?

I have never seen this before. where did you find this painting?

[Megan]

I've had an enquiry about this Beethoven portrait - http://www.wisselnet.nl/paintings/04p03202.jpg

Does anyone know anything about it?

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'Man know thyself'

Peter, I was searching in the archives and came across your post with a link to a potrait of Beethoven? But I have discovered the link no longer works. Is it possible find it again?

Also I was thinking that if we want to see a true likeness of Beethoven, then we should look no further than his dear Mama. I do believe we see Beethoven shining through her.

[Peter]

Peter, I was searching in the archives and came across your post with a link to a potrait of Beethoven? But I have discovered the link no longer works. Is it possible find it again?

Also I was thinking that if we want to see a true likeness of Beethoven, then we should look no further than his dear Mama. I do believe we see Beethoven shining through her.

Except I think there is some doubt as to whether those portraits are genuinely of his parents, the portrait of him as a child is also rather dubious. The best likeness has to be the Klein bust based on the life mask - the Hofel engraving based on the Letronne pencil drawing of 1814 is also considered one of the most faithful representations.

That original link is to another site and therefore beyond our control!