Friedrich Georg Weitsch

Friedrich Georg Weitsch (8 August 1758, in Braunschweig – 30 May 1828, in Berlin) was a German painter and etcher.

Life and work
His father, Pascha Johann Friedrich Weitsch, was a well-known artist. His younger brother, Johann Anton August Weitsch, also became a painter.

He initially studied with his father. After 1776, he continued his studies with Johann Heinrich Tischbein in Kassel. After studying at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf with Lambert Krahe, he obtained a position with the lacquerware manufacturer, Stobwasser (Manufaktur), where his father was a painting instructor.

From 1784 to 1787, he lived abroad; first in Amsterdam, then in Rome and Florence. Upon returning home, he received an invitation from Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick, to work as his court painter. In that capacity, he created numerous portraits of the Duke and his family; both in Braunschweig and at Salzdahlum Castle. His portraits often showed the influence of Anton Graff.

In 1794, he was elected a member of the Prussian Academy of Arts, Berlin, and married Elizabeth Schroeder. The marriage was childless. Following the death of Bernhard Rode, he went to the academy to teach art history. He was named a Rector in 1798. That same year, he was appointed a Royal Court Painter.

His works may be seen at the Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum, the Städtisches Museum (Braunschweig), and the Braunschweigisches Landesmuseum.