Ferdinand Heilbuth (1826 - 1889)

Ferdinand Heilbuth

Ferdinand Heilbuth was a nineteenth-century German painter who spent much of his career in France. He is particularly known as a watercolorist, one of the first members of the Society of French Watercolorists.

Heilbuth initially became famous for his portraits done in the style of Titian and Rembrandt. Later, however, he abandoned the portrait genre entirely in favor of historical and everyday subjects and began to depict scenes from the high society of past times. Then, having become a plein air painter, he painted landscapes in Paris and made sketches in London. His paintings were distinguished by their lightness, airiness and masterful technique, and his watercolors were especially skillful.