Sebastian Stoskopff

His chief works hang in his hometown of Strasbourg, but some of the world's most important art museums (the Met, the Louvre, the KHM, the Gemäldegalerie) own paintings by Stoskopff as well.

His father was employed by the city since 1590 and acted as a mounted courier or royal escort, driving a one-horse carriage.

The council agreed to provide their support and probably sent the young artist at first to the Strasbourg painter and copper engraver, Friedrich Brentel.

In 1615, Stoskopff's father died and his widowed mother went to the Strasbourg council once again to ask for support for training from a recognized painter.

One of the apprentices was Joachim von Sandrart,[1] who later became a successful painter and who wrote the first important work on the history of art in the German language: "Teutsche Academie der Bau-, Bild,- und Malerey- Künste".

A contemporary statement from Sandrart proves his residence in Paris: "Von dannen [gemeint ist Hanau] verreiste er in Frankreich und hinterließ viele gute Werke; von Pariß zoge er nach Italien (allwo ich ihn zu Venedig Anno 1629 gesehen), hernach wieder zurück nach Pariß und so fürters nach Straßburg [...] ("From there [meaning Hanau], he travelled to France and left many good works; from Paris, he moved to Italy (where I saw him in Venice in 1629), afterwards again back to Paris and further to Strasbourg [...]").

[2] Nearly 20 years later, Stoskopff's murder became clear during an indictment for witchcraft, in which the owner of the public house and a woman were involved.