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Johann Joachim Winckelmann (1717–1768)

ca. 1777
Not on view
This idealized posthumous portrait depicts Johann Joachim Winckelmann, who is credited with the reevaluation of ancient Greek art through his work as an archaeologist and a pioneer in writing art history. His History of Ancient Art, published in 1764, became a bedrock of neoclassical thinking about the idealized European body as well as a key reference for travelers. In his portrait, Winckelmann holds a Greek edition of Homer’s Iliad, an allusion to his knowledge of classical poetry. Mengs was a friend in Winckelmann’s social circle in Rome, where the two shared an investment in the often homoerotic themes of classical Greek art.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Johann Joachim Winckelmann (1717–1768)
  • Artist: Anton Raphael Mengs (German, Ústi nad Labem (Aussig) 1728–1779 Rome)
  • Date: ca. 1777
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 25 x 19 3/8 in. (63.5 x 49.2 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1948
  • Object Number: 48.141
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

More Artwork

More Artwork
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Rest on the Flight into Egypt, Anton Raphael Mengs German, Red chalk, graphite; squared in graphite
Rest on the Flight into Egypt
Anton Raphael Mengs
mid-18th–late 18th century
The Triumph of History over Time, Anton Raphael Mengs German, Black and white chalk, on blue paper
The Triumph of History over Time
Anton Raphael Mengs
1771–75 (?)
Holy Family with St. John the Baptist, Anton Raphael Mengs German, Pen and brown ink, squared for transfer in black chalk
Holy Family with St. John the Baptist
Anton Raphael Mengs
mid-18th century
Seated Nude Male, Anton Raphael Mengs German, Black chalk, heightening with white, brown wash (?), on gray-brown paper
Seated Nude Male
Anton Raphael Mengs
n.d.
Oedipus before the Temple of the Furies between his Daughters Antigone and Ismene, Anton Raphael Mengs German, Pen and brown ink, bown wash, heightened with white gouache, over graphite
Oedipus before the Temple of the Furies between his Daughters Antigone and Ismene
Anton Raphael Mengs
ca. 1760–61

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