Hans Makart

Hans (Johann Evangelist Ferdinand Apolinaris) Makart, was born on the 28th May, 1840 as a son of a chamberlain in the castle Mirabell in Salzburg. After a short study in the academy of arts in Vienna he was trained by Karl Theodor von Piloty in Munich (in 1860-1865) and travelled, among the rest, also to London, Paris and Rome to study. In 1868 or in 1869 he married Amalie Franziska Roithmayr for Munich. They had two children, Hans and Grete. Unfortunately Amalie died young in 1873.

Hans Makart returned in 1869 to Vienna, after prince of Hohenlohe supplied him with an old foundry in Gusshausstrasse 25 to use it as a studio. He transformed it bit by bit into an imposing place fully with sculptures, flowers, music instruments, equipment and pieces of jewellery which he maintained to create classical surroundings for his portraits, primarily from women. In the end, his studio looked like a drawing room and became a social meeting place in Vienna. Cosima Wagner described it as a ' miracle of the decorative beauty, an elated lumber room '.

Hans Makart became known famous because of his historical pictures rich in colours and enjoyed in 1879 his nicest hour with his picture of the move to honour from the silver wedding of the emperor Franz Joseph and his wife Elisabeth (better than Sisi). Same year Hans Makart Professor became in the academy. In 1881 he married his second woman, which dancer Bertha Babitsch (also famously as Bertha Linda). Nevertheless, this marriage was not accepted by the Viennese society.

Hans Makart also sketched piece of furniture and facilities. In 1882 ordered emperors Franz Joseph for his empress Hermes Villa in Lainz (close to Vienna). The bedroom decoration should be formed after the summers night dream of Shakespeare. Makart sketched an amusing dream world which still exists in Hermes Villa as as a big picture (1882). Unfortunately, Hans Makart's design never became after his early death, on the 3rd October, 1884 realised. To protect the future of his small children, his collection was put together by antiques and objects of art of the art dealer H.O.Miethke for the auction. She existed of 1083 pieces.