Franz Von Lenbach
Lenbach, Franz Von
Born Dec. 13, 1836, in Schrobenhausen, Bavaria; died May 6, 1904, in Munich. German painter.
Lenbach studied from 1857 to 1859 with K. Piloty in Munich and Rome and worked mainly in Munich. He copied the paintings of old masters and imitated their careful technique and methods of handling color. He was the favorite portrait painter of the official circles of Bismarck’s Germany; he painted about 80 portraits of Bismarck (the Hermitage in Leningrad and other museums). Lenbach also painted popular portraits of German cultural figures, including R. Wagner, T. Mommsen (both in the National Gallery, Berlin), and W. Busch (the Hermitage).