The work of the Hamburg painter, Baltasar Denner (1685-1749), has no
claim to be considered as a manifestation of art: it is merely a
display of mechanical skill in the microscopic rendering of the little
lines and pores and stubbly hair on the skin of old people’s faces. He
lived for seven years in London, where he painted in 1724 the signed
_Portrait of an Old Woman_ (No. 2706), which was bought in 1852 for
£756. Another characteristic example of his misapplied skill is the
portrait (No. 2707) in the La Caze Room.
Christian Wilhelm Dietrich (1712-1774) and Heinrich Wilhelm
Schweickhardt (1746-1787) are too insignificant to deserve serious
consideration. The same remark applies to Christian Seybold
(1703?-1768), who became Court Painter to the Empress Maria Theresa;
and to Johann Ernest Heinsius, who was active as a portrait painter in
France during the reign of Louis XVI. All that is to be noted in their
pictures at the Louvre is the total absence of all artistic merit.
Of somewhat greater importance, though by no means of the first rank,
are the two last German artists who claim our attention: Raphael Mengs
(1728-1779) and Angelica Kaufmann, (1741-1807), who is catalogued
among the painters of the German school, although she was Swiss by
birth, Italian by education, and English by domicile. Her sex was no
bar to her becoming one of the Foundation members of the English Royal
Academy, and she is generally counted among the English painters. The
portrait group of _The Baroness von Krüdner and her Daughter_ (No.
2722) is a poor example of her art, which invariably sought to please
by conventional prettiness.
Raphael Mengs, the painter of the portrait of _Marie Amelia Christina
of Saxony, Wife of Charles III. of Spain_, was born at Aussig in
Bohemia, studied whilst still a boy in Italy, and became Court Painter
to Charles III., who invited him to Madrid in 1761. Mengs was an
exceedingly accomplished technician and draughtsman, who modelled
himself on Raphael and the Italian eclectics, but was wholly lacking
in originality and inspiration. He tried his hand in every branch
of his art, and was most successful in portraiture, although even
his portraits are lacking in penetration of character. He, however,
excelled as a copyist, and died in Rome in 1779.