The Life Class of the Vienna Academy

1790

Not on view

Members of the Vienna Academy are represented sketching, painting, and sculpting from a live model. Quadal, who specialized in portraits and animal subjects, sits sketching in the right foreground. Jacobé taught mezzotint—an intaglio technique in which subtle gradations of light and shade form the image—at the Vienna Academy. Thanks to his professorship, Vienna produced the only significant school of mezzotint artists in the late eighteenth century outside of London. This impression is a proof, a step in the working process, and the names of the artists had yet to be engraved on the plate. They were added by hand in brown ink in the bottom margin.

Artwork Details

Title: The Life Class of the Vienna Academy
Artist: Johann Jacobe (Austrian, Vienna 1733–1797 Vienna)
Artist: After Martin Ferdinand Quadal (Austrian, 1736–1811)
Date: 1790
Medium: Mezzotint; proof
Dimensions: sheet: 25 1/2 x 31 3/8 in. (64.7 x 79.7 cm)
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 2003
Object Number: 2003.477
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

In the same medium

From the same time and place

Hooked Harp, Maple, various materials, Austrian — Hooked Harp
Austrian
18th century

Weymouth Bay, David Lucas British, Mezzotint on chine collé; progress proof — Weymouth Bay
David Lucas
After John Constable
1830

Priming Flask, Pearwood, brass, Austrian — Priming Flask
Austrian
18th century

Junkernboden, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner German, Color woodcut, working proofs recto and verso; recto: black ink with traces of yellow and green ink and wax crayon; verso: black, pink, dark red, and two shades of green ink — Junkernboden
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner
1919

Partisan, Steel, wood (chestnut), textile, Austrian — Partisan
Austrian
1720–40

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.