International studio (27.1905/1906(1906))

Exhibition of Miniatures at Vienna

beautiful miniatures painted by Füger, far more
indeed than is generally known. Here he lived and
painted from 1783 tili 1818, a period of thirty-five
years Though many of his miniatures are unsigned,
they can easily be recognised by judges. “ In the
Green Vaults at Dresden,” says Laban, “ there are
no Füger miniatures ” ; and he adds that if any one
wishes to study this artist’s works he must go to
Vienna. Füger has been called the Vienna Cosway,
but there are many points of difference between
the two. The German artist was accustomed to
paint his large pictures after the antique, and
indeed it was as a master of this style of painting
that he would have wished to come down to
posterity, and not as a painter “in little.” But
nevertheless it was as a miniaturist that he began
his career. Füger was only eleven years old when
he commenced painting miniatures, and astonished
every one by the precocity of his talent; but he did
not want to be an artist,
spite of the fact that he
came under the influence
of Raphael Mengs. Then
he studied jurisprudence at
Halle, but his leanings to-
wards art became stronger
than those towards the law.
He took to painting minia-
tures of his professors, and
meeting with success gave
up law for art. There are
very many early Fügers in
various collections, his
latest—that is, thosepainted
from 1783 tili 1800—are his
best. Like Isabey he had
too many Orders, and much
inferior work is attributed
to him—work in which he
was either helped by his
pupils or which was entirely
done by others.
Füger’s characteristics are
many and distinctive ; both
in his miniatures of men
and in those of women one
can trace his methods,
Füger was always true to
his sitter; there was no
sacrificing of “character” to
beauty, and he was not
afraid of depicting ugliness
when he met it; but he
balanced this by bringing

out what lay beyond the outward lineaments. In
his miniatures of men Füger began by outlining the
face with a peculiar red, but as this would have
been too hard a foundation for the gentle sex,
he lightly and delicately touched the red with
a transparent grey, so that the flesh tones are
tender and soft. Among the many beautiful
examples of Fuger’s miniature work should be
named the portrait of the artist’s father, which
is in the possession of Baron Bourgoing, that
of the Archduke Leopold Alexander, and the
Archduchess Clementine, belonging to the Emperor;
his own portrait, in the Imperial Academy Col-
lection; the Empress Louise, wife of the Emperor
Leopold II., in Archduke Rainer’s collection ; a
young lady in delicate blue gown and black lace
mantilla, in Frau Mayr’s collection ; a portrait of
the artist’s son, holding a doll; Lrau Füger, his
wife, in Dr. Figdor’s collection, an extremely

COUNT JOSEF FRIES
f By permission of Count August Bellegarde)

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