Johann Matthias Ranftl (Austrian, 1804-1854)

Johann Matthias Ranftl (* 20. Jänner 1804 in Wien; † 1. November 1854 in Wien) war ein österreichischer Maler und Grafiker. Johann Matthias Ranftl Austrian, 1804-1854 Follow Johann Matthias Ranftl rose to prominence for his remarkably realistic paintings of dogs, to which he owed his nickname “Raffael the Dog”. The painter and lithographer Johann Matthias Ranftl enrolled at the Vienna University of Applied Arts in 1817, where he was taught by Johann Baptist Lampi and Anton Petter. He travelled to Switzerland on a study trip in 1819, and from there to Germany. Inspired by his new impressions, he turned increasingly to landscape painting. He continued his university studies under the German painter Johann Peter Krafft on his return to Vienna. He used his instruction in historical painting to gradually develop a remarkable ability to depict character in his portraits.