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| 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
Johann Joachim Winckelmann was the most influential early archaeologist and a pioneer in the field of art history. His History of Ancient Art, published in 1764, became a classic text for travelers and cognoscenti of art. He was also a close friend and admirer of Mengs. Both were leading exponents of the nascent Neoclassical movement in Rome. In this idealized posthumous portrait Winckelmann is shown holding a Greek edition of Homer's Iliad, alluding to his erudition and ties to Classical poetry.
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