Philipp Foltz

In 1825, he went to Munich, where he was accepted at the Academy of Fine Arts and studied with Peter von Cornelius.

Later, he assisted Wilhelm Lindenschmit the Elder at the new Royal Palace, creating murals based on the ballads of Friedrich Schiller.

At this time, he also began to create a series of oil paintings on historical subjects; notably one of King Otto saying farewell on his way to Greece.

In 1835, he took a study trip to Rome, where he created his monumental painting "Des Sängers Fluch" (The Singer's Curse), based on the poem by Ludwig Uhland.

Between 1865 and 1875, he served as Director of the Royal Gallery, but was harshly criticized for his methods of restoration, which employed questionable chemical processes developed by Max von Pettenkofer, as well as the overpainting of some canvases.

Philipp Foltz; photograph by
Franz Hanfstaengl
King Otto's Farewell