Life lived dramatically. Very dramatically. Theodor von Holst, painter. Living from 1810 to 1844, he was born in London where his artistic talents were noticed by Henri Fuseli and society portraitist Sir Thomas Lawrence with Lawrence buying drawings from von Holst who was only 10 at the time.

“The Fairy Lovers”. ca. 1840. English. Oil on canvas. Collections of the Tate Galleries. Cc0 License 3.0. via http://www.tate.org.uk/art/work/T01518
“The Dice: Mephistopheles plays for Faust’s soul.” 19th c. English. Oil on canvas. Attributed to von Holst. Image © Christie’s 2021. Fair use license. via https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-6062559
“Devilish Scenery.” ca. 1838. English. Watercolor. Signed and dated. Image © 1986-2021 Invaluable, LLC and Galerie Moenius. Fair use license. via https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/theodore-von-holst-1810-1844-453-c-dfd40b5925#
“Fantasy based on Goethe’s Faust.” 1834. English. Oil on canvas. Image source; Tate Britain. Artwork in the public domain due to age. via https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Theodor_von_Holst_Fantasy_based_on_Goethe%27s_Faust_1834.jpg

Leave a Reply