Gustav Graef

Gustav Graef (14 December 1821 – 6 January 1895) was a German painter, primarily of portraits and historical subjects.

[1] His training as a painter began in Düsseldorf with Theodor Hildebrandt and Wilhelm von Schadow at the Royal Academy.

[2] Upon his return to Königsberg, he married a former acquaintance from his drawing class, the painter and lithographer Franziska Liebreich (1824–1893), who came from a prominent Jewish family.

In 1849, he received the contract to paint frescoes in the south dome hall of the Neues Museum; designed by Wilhelm von Kaulbach, depicting Widukind's reconciliation with Charlemagne.

This became a major scandal in Berlin society, as the young woman in question was from a notable family that had been very hospitable to Graef.