Portrait of the Artist's Father, Ismael Mengs
1747–48
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
53.3 × 40.3 cm (21 × 15 7/8 in.)
Classification
painting
Department
Painting and Sculpture of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
88372
Art Historical Context
In the intimate *Portrait of the Artist's, Ismael Mengs* (1747–48), Anton Raphael Mengs captures a tender likeness of his father and mentor, the Danish painter Ismael Israel Mengs. when Anton was just 19 or 20, this oil-on-canvas work measures a modest 53.3 × 40.3 cm, suggesting it was a personal family piece rather than a grand commission. Housed in the Art Institute Chicago's Department of Painting and Sculpture of Europe, it exemplifies the young artist's emerging talent during his formative years in Dresden. Mengs, a pivotal figure in the transition from Rococo to Neoclassicism, drew heav...
About the Artist
Anton Raphael Mengs
Comment on works: Portraits; Religious