Theodor von Holst

Theodor Richard Edward von Holst[1] (3 September 1810 – 14 February 1844) was a nineteenth-century British literary painter.

According to Max Browne's biographical article in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, von Holst's "early instruction by Fuseli exerted such a powerful influence on his artistic development that some of his work is almost indistinguishable from that of his master".

[2] Like Fuseli, von Holst painted mostly famous literary subjects of European culture, but not current trends.

[2] As Browne explains, "while [von Holst's] exceptional imagination and draughtsmanship were widely praised, his choice of subjects were out of step with the age and public taste.

Also, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, greatly admired von Holst's work and according to Browne "considered him a significant link between the older generation of English Romantic painters, such as Fuseli and William Blake, and the Pre-Raphaelite circle".