Christoph Heinrich Kniep (original) (raw)

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German painter

Christoph Heinrich Kniep
Selfportrait
Born 1755Hildesheim
Died 11 July 1825Naples
Nationality German
Occupation Painter

Christoph Heinrich Kniep (1755–1825), was a German painter. He is renowned for accompanying Goethe in his Italian Journey to Naples, Paestum and Sicily, executing several drawings whilst there.

Initially, he worked as a portrait artist, then in 1781 he traveled to Italy, where he painted primarily vistas and landscapes. He met Goethe in Naples, being introduced to him by a mutual friend, the artist Johann Heinrich Wilhelm Tischbein. After separating from Goethe on his return from Sicily, Kniep remained in Naples, where he died in 1825.[1]

View of the Paestum temples, drawn whilst there with Goethe.

Kniep's drawings of Paestum and Pompeii are of extraordinary detail, and have also been used as archaeological documents.[2]

  1. ^ Cf. Georg Striehl, Der Zeichner Christoph Heinrich Kniep (1755–1825) (1998); also Joseph Eduard Wessely, Kniep, Christoph Heinrich (1882).
  2. ^ Cf. Georg Striehl, op. cit.

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