Fuhrich, Joseph Von

Fuhrich, Joseph Von a Bohemian painter, was born at Kratzau in 1800. His admiration for the pictures in the wayside chapels of his native country led him to attempt a sketch of The Nativity for the Christmas festival in his father's house. He became the pupil of Bengler in the Academy of Prague in 1816, and in 1826 went to Rome, where he added three frescos to those executed by Cornelius and Overbeck in the Palazzo Massimi. In 1831 he finished the Triumph of Christ, now in the Raczynski Palace at Berlin. In 1834 he became custos, and in 1841 professor of composition in the Academy of Vienna. After this he completed the monumental pictures of the Church of St. Nepomuk, and (1854-61) the vast series of wall-paintings which cover the inside of the Lerchenfeld Church at Vienna. In 1872 he was pensioned, and made a knight of the order of Francis Joseph. He died March 13, 1876. "Fuhrich has been fairly described as a 'Nazarene,' a romantic religious artist, whose pencil did more than any other to restore the old spirit of Diirer and give new shape to countless incidents of the gospel and scriptural legends." His principal works are his illustrations of Tieck's Geneva, The Lord's Prayer, The Triumph of Christ, The Road to Bethlehem, The Succession of Christ, according to Thomas a Kempis, The Prodigal Son, and the verses of the Psalter. See Encyclop. Brit. 9th ed., s.v.