Ludwig van Beethoven - Stich von Blasius Höfel aus dem Jahr 1814 nach einer Zeichnung von Louis Letronne, erschienen bei Artaria, Wien, 1814, mit Widmung Beethovens an Franz Gerhard Wegeler

The French painter and portraitist Louis Letronne completed his apprenticeship training in Paris studying with Jacques Louis David (1748-1825) and Nicolas André Monsiau (1754-1837). Between approximately 1805 and 1817, Letronne lived in Vienna and is said to have worked as draftsman for the furniture industry of Danhauser. During the Vienna Congress, he created portraits of the numerous monarchs and statesmen, who had come to the imperial city to visit this event.

During this time, Letronne also drew Ludwig van Beethoven. His portrait was supposed to be the draft for a copper engraving, which should have been done by the Vienna engraver Blasius Höfel. But Höfel thought Letronne's drawing was not a really good drawing of Beethoven. So he asked the composer to sit for him again. Beethoven agreed and Höfel revised Letronne's portrait. The publishing house Artaria published this portrait as copper engraving in Vienna.

The decision of the publishing house to print this portrait shows the tremendous popularity Beethoven enjoyed at that time. This popularity mainly derived from the success of the two compositions Beethoven composed and performed on the occasion of the Vienna Congress: the Cantata "Der glorreiche Augenblick" ("The Glorious Moment") op. 136 and the Symphony "Wellingtons Sieg" ("Wellington's Victory"), or the "Schlacht bei Vittoria" ("Battle near Vittoria") op. 91.(S.B.)