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Joseph Hickel

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Joseph Hickel
Engraving of Self-portrait, 1769, Uffizi Gallery
Born(1736-03-19)19 March 1736
Böhmisch-Leipa, Kingdom of Bohemia
Died28 March 1807(1807-03-28) (aged 71)
Vienna, Archduchy of Austria
Other nameJosef Hickel
EducationJohann Hickel (father)
Martin van Meytens
Academy of Fine Arts Vienna
Known forImperial-Royal Portraiture
MovementEarly Classicism (transitional from Baroque and Rococo)
RelativesAnton Hickel (brother)
ElectedAcademy of Fine Arts, Florence (1769)
Academy of Fine Arts Vienna (1776)
PatronsEmpress Maria Theresa
Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor

Joseph Hickel (19 March 1736 – 28 March 1807) was a prominent portraitist born in Böhmisch-Leipa, who built a successful career as the imperial-royal court painter (k.k. Kammermaler) to the Habsburg monarchy in Vienna.

His most notable body of work consists of his definitive portraits of Emperor Joseph II, which became central to the visual identity and philosophical spirit of the Josephinian Enlightenment.

A student of Martin van Meytens, Hickel departed from the opulent Baroque traditions of his mentor, transitioning Viennese portraiture toward a more restrained, psychologically grounded aesthetic aligned with Early Classicism.[1][2]

Biography

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Hickel received his initial training from his father, Johann Hickel (1705–1778), a Prague-born painter who worked in Böhmisch-Leipa (now Česká Lípa). Showing a rare early mastery of the medium, Hickel was executing complex compositions in oil by the age of 12—an exceptional development recorded by art historians as distinct from other painters of the era. At 15, he successfully completed a full-scale altarpiece for the town church of Hirschberg am See (now Doksy) in Bohemia. His younger brother, Anton Hickel (1745–1798), also became a successful painter and studied under his guidance for a time.[3][4]

In 1756, he moved to Vienna to further his education, studying at the Vienna Academy where he specialized in portraiture. His talent caught the attention of Empress Maria Theresa, who funded an extended educational sojourn to Italy. There, in Milan, Parma, and Florence, he painted numerous portraits of the Habsburg archdukes and archduchesses ruling the Italian courts, commissioned by his patroness.[5][6] Following his travels, rivalries at the Viennese court led to a temporary loss of imperial favor. Hickel used this period to hone his skills further, and in 1769, the Florentine Academy inducted him as a member.[7][8]

Court appointment and career

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Upon his return to Vienna, he was commissioned to paint a portrait of Emperor Joseph II. The work delighted and impressed both the Empress Maria Theresa and Emperor Joseph II, and Hickel was appointed imperial-royal court painter (k.k. Kammermaler) in 1771. In 1778, however, he applied unsuccessfully for the directorship of the Vienna Academy. As Hickel continued his work as Joseph II's favorite court painter, his style defined the Emperor's visual legacy. For subsequent imperial portraits—whether bust-length or full-length—he reused a signature head tilt to the half-left, featuring sharply modeled facial features and eyes fixed on the viewer. This specific depiction became Hickel's artistic trademark, and the pose itself became a defining emblem of Emperor Joseph II's public image.[9][10]

Social circle and the "Mozart Connection"

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While both Joseph Hickel and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart moved within Viennese artistic and social circles during the 1780s, their interactions developed within the shared cultural fabric of imperial court society. Musicologist Michael Lorenz demonstrated that Mozart composed his Wind Serenade No. 11 in E-flat major, K. 375, specifically for St. Teresa's Day in 1781. It was premiered at the Hickel family residence for Hickel's sister-in-law, Theresia Wutka. Letters from Mozart to his father indicate that he intentionally used this specific celebration to gain favor with the imperial valet, Johann Kilian Strack. Because Strack was a frequent guest of the Hickel family and had direct access to the sovereign, Mozart hoped the performance would secure an introduction to Emperor Joseph II.[11][12]

Later career and recognition

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Among Joseph Hickel's most noted paintings is his portraiture of Emperor Joseph II, who is said to have sat for him five times—a significant testament to the artist's skill, given that the Emperor was famously impatient and, in his own words, "always in a hurry" ("immer pressé").[13][7] These works include portraits displayed in the Magistratssaal (Magistrate's Hall) of the Old Vienna City Hall and at Neuwaldegg Castle.[14]

Reflecting on Hickel's talent, whose work bridged late Baroque elegance and Neoclassical clarity, the 19th-century art historian Gottfried Johannes Dlabacz wrote: "His brushwork is vigorous and expressive, the likenesses in his portraits are striking, and the coloring is vivid and bold; the subjects are generally captured in their full individuality."[15][16] His artistic legacy in the city was later commemorated by the naming of Hickelgasse.[14]

Personal life

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On 14 May 1770, Hickel married Margaritha Josepha Wutka (also recorded as Margarethe; 1753–1831) in Vienna. She was the daughter of Franz Engelbert Wutka, a prominent local official who served as a secretary to Prince Emanuel von Liechtenstein, a controller for the imperial gunpowder and saltpeter administration, and the administrator of the imperial armory (Arsenalverwalter). Although historical records indicate that their marriage remained childless, the Hickel household became a vibrant cultural Viennese salon.[14][11]

Her sister, Theresia Wutka, was an accomplished musical figure who anchored the family’s weekly social and musical gatherings. These private salons regularly drew elite members of imperial court society, high-ranking administrators, and celebrated artists. It was within this sophisticated domestic circle that the Hickel family established an enduring connection to the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, effectively bridging the worlds of Viennese portraiture and classical music through overlapping networks of court patronage.[11]

Selected works

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Among his most notable paintings are portraits of:[17]

The Sovereigns of the Habsburg Monarchy

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The Imperial Family and Royalty

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Spiritual and Military Leaders

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Statesmen and Ministers

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Museum collections

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Joseph Hickel's original paintings, along with the widespread copperplate engravings, etchings, and mezzotints based on his portraits, are preserved in numerous international institutions, including:[7]

Austria

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Czech Republic

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  • Chateau Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou
  • Museum of Fine Arts, Liberec
  • State Chateau of Rájec nad Svitavou

France

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Château de Versailles, Versailles

Germany

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Hungary

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Hungarian National Museum, Budapest

Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest

Italy

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Romania

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Russia

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Sweden

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United Kingdom

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Other international collections

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See also

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References

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  1. ↑ Popelka, Liselotte (1972). "Hickel, Joseph". Neue Deutsche Biographie (in German). Vol. 9. Berlin: Duncker & Humblot. pp. 105–106.
  2. ↑ Neuwirth, Joseph (1894). "Inventare, Akten und Regesten aus der Registratur Seiner k. und k. Apostolischen Majestät Oberstkämmereramtes". Jahrbuch der Kunsthistorischen Sammlungen des Allerhöchsten Kaiserhauses (in German). 15: LXI–CLXX.
  3. ↑ Müller, Hermann Alexander (1921). "Hickel, Joseph". In Singer, Hans Wolfgang (ed.). Allgemeines Künstler-Lexicon (in German). Vol. 2: Gaab–Lezla (5th ed.). Frankfurt a. M.: Literarische Anstalt, Rütten & Loening. p. 176.
  4. ↑ Nagler, Georg Kaspar (1837). "Hickel, Joseph". Neues allgemeines Künstler-Lexicon (in German). Vol. 5. Munich: E. A. Fleischmann. p. 172; listing Joseph Hickel's birth year as 1734.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  5. ↑ Baur, Samuel (1816). Allgemeines historisch-biographisch-literarisches Handwörterbuch aller merkwürdigen Personen, die in dem ersten Jahrzehend des neunzehnten Jahrhunderts gestorben sind (in German). Vol. 1. Ulm: Stettinische Buchhandlung. Sp. 618.
  6. ↑ Biermann, Georg (1914). Deutsches Barock und Rokoko (in German). Vol. 2. Leipzig: E. E. Schwabach. pp. XXII, 429, fig. 727 – via Internet Archive.
  7. 1 2 3 Wurzbach, Constantin von (1863). "Hickel, Joseph". Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich (in German). Vol. 9. Vienna: Kaiserlich-königliche Hof- und Staatsdruckerei. pp. 3–4 – via Austrian Literature Online.
  8. ↑ Marrini, Orazio (1765–1770). Serie di ritratti di celebri pittori dipinti di propria mano : in seguito a quella già pubblicata nel Museo Fiorentino, esistente appresso l'abate Antonio Pazzi (in Italian). Vol. 2. Firenze: Nella Stamperia Moückiana. pp. 423–427.
  9. ↑ Thomasberger, Edith (1992). "Joseph und Anton Hickel. Zwei josephinische Hofmaler". Mitteilungen der Österreichischen Galerie (in German). 36/37 (80/81): 5–133.
  10. ↑ Schmitt-Vorster, Angelika (2005). Pro Deo et Populo. Die Porträts Josephs II. (1765–1790). Untersuchungen zu Bestand, Ikonographie und Verbreitung des Kaiserbildnisses im Zeitalter der Aufklärung (PhD dissertation) (in German). Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München.
  11. 1 2 3 Lorenz, Michael (30 December 2023). ""The Origin of Mozart's Serenade K. 375"". Musicological Trifles and Biographical Paralipomena. Retrieved 28 August 2026. Since Strack was close friends with the family of the court painter Joseph Hickel and was a regular guest at Hickel's home, Mozart took St. Teresa's Day (October 15) as an opportunity to write a six-part wind serenade for Hickel's sister-in-law.
  12. ↑ Abert, Hermann (2007). W. A. Mozart. Yale University Press. pp. 615–617. ISBN 978-0-300-07223-5.
  13. ↑ Füssli, Johann Rudolf; Füssli, Johann Heinrich (1806–1821). "Hickel, Joseph". Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon, oder: Kurze Nachricht von dem Leben und den Werken der Maler, Bildhauer, Baumeister, Kupferstecher, Kunstgiesser, Stahlschneider u.u.; nebst angehängten Verzeichnissen ... Zürich: Orell, Füssli und Compagnie. p. 547. doi:10.3931/e-rara-1359 – via e-rara.
  14. 1 2 3 "Joseph Hickel". Wien Geschichte Wiki (in German). Wiener Stadt- und Landesarchiv; Wienbibliothek im Rathaus. Retrieved 28 August 2026.
  15. ↑ Dlabacž, Gottfried Johann (1815). Allgemeines historisches Künstler-Lexikon für Böhmen und zum Theil auch für Mähren und Schlesien (in German). Vol. 1. Prag: Gedruckt bei G. Haase. col. 620. Sein Pinsel ist kräftig und ausdrucksvoll, die Aehnlichkeit in seinen Porträten treffend, das Kolorit lebhaft und feurig; die Gegenstände sind gewöhnlich in ihrer ganzen Eigenthümlichkeit aufgefaßt.
  16. ↑ Thieme, Ulrich; Becker, Felix (1924). Vollmer, Hans (ed.). Allgemeines Lexikon der bildenden Künstler von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart (in German). Vol. 17. Leipzig: E. A. Seemann. p. 45.
  17. ↑ Weiß, Karl (1880). "Hickel, Josef". Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (in German). Vol. 12. Leipzig: Duncker & Humblot. p. 385.
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