German painter and art-writer; born in Münchengossenstadt, Bavaria, on the 8th of April 1800. He studied theology and philosophy in the universities of Berlin and Jena, but in 1822 abandoned these to devote himself to painting under the instruction of Cornelius. He executed various fresco-pieces in Bonn and Munich. In 1826 he visited Italy and commenced researches in art history, which he subsequently pursued in Germany, France, Belgium and England. The results of his studies are embodied in the publications, Letters on Painting (1838); History of German Art (5 vols., 1851–60); Monuments of German Architecture, Sculpture and Painting (12 vols., 1853–69); biographies of Fra Angelico, J. G. Müller, Raphael and Cornelius. At the time of his death he left two large works unfinished, A History of Italian Art and Monuments of Italian Painting. In his researches in Italy he discovered several ancient pictures, notably frescoes of Avanzo in Padua, which he restored. He died at Munich on the 29th of April 1885.
