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Johann Rudolf Füssli

1709 – 1793

Swiss art historian and painter

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About Johann Rudolf Füssli

Lived 1709 – 1793 (aged 84). Johann Rudolf Füssli was a Swiss art historian, painter, author and artist.

Rudolf Füssli (also Hans-Rudolf, Johann Rudolf, Füessli; born 5 September 1709 in Zürich; died 12 September 1793, ibid) was a Swiss painter, art historian and lexicographer.

Johann Rudolf Füssli was a son of the mayor Heinrich Füssli and his wife Dorothea, née Grebel. He was first apprenticed to the painter Johann Melchior Füssli in Zürich and then to Philipp Jakob Loutherbourg the Elder in Paris. From 1744 to 1746 he created the "New Year's Eve sheets of the Zurich fireworks society".

Füssli dealt intensively with art history and published in 1763 for the first time the Allgemeines Künstler-Lexicon. In 1779 appeared a new edition with a list of portraits of listed artists.

Works

General artist = Lexicon, or: Short message of the life and works of the Mahler, sculptors, master builders, engravers, art founders, steel cutters, [et]c. [et]c., together with an attached list of the portraits of the artist contained in this lexicon, described in alphabetical order, Heidegger and Compagnie, Zurich, 1763, (Digitized, Bavarian State Library). General Artist's Lexicon, or: Short Message of the Life and Works of the Mahler, Sculptors, Master Builders, Engravers, Art Casting Machines, Steel Cutter, [et]c. [et]c. : In addition to attached directories of teachers and students; also the portraits, the artist contained in this lexicon; Orell, Gessner, Fueesslin and Compagnie, Zurich, 1779 (Digitized, Bavarian State Library).

Georg Ludwig Eckhardt: Supplements to Füssli artist dictionary. Hamburgische Künstlernachrichten., L. F. Gauss, Hamburg, 1794, (online, Göttingen digitization center (GDZ)).

Literature

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Also known as
Rudolf Füssli II, Rudolf, II Füssli, Johann Rudolf Fussli, Hans Rudolf Fussli, Hans Rudolf Füssli
moreRudolf II Fussli, II Fussli, Rudolf Fuessli

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Johann Rudolf Füssli's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Johann Rudolf Füssli?

Swiss art historian and painter (1709-1793)

When was Johann Rudolf Füssli born?

Johann Rudolf Füssli was born on 5 September 1709 in Zurich.

When did Johann Rudolf Füssli die?

Johann Rudolf Füssli died on 12 September 1793 in Zurich.

What was Johann Rudolf Füssli's occupation?

Johann Rudolf Füssli was an art historian, painter, author and artist.

What nationality was Johann Rudolf Füssli?

Johann Rudolf Füssli was Swiss.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Johann Rudolf Füssli

· Wikidata: Q2172694

· DBpedia: Rudolf Füssli

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Johann Rudolf Füssli. https://biography.guide/johann-rudolf-fussli/

MLA: "Johann Rudolf Füssli." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/johann-rudolf-fussli/.

Chicago: "Johann Rudolf Füssli." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/johann-rudolf-fussli/.

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