Ludwig van Beethoven - Stich von Blasius Höfel nach einer Zeichnung von Louis Letronne von Artaria in Wien aus dem Jahre 1814, Druck, Mitte oder 2. Hälfte 20. Jahrhundert

In 1814 the Viennese publisher and art dealer Dominik Artaria published this engraving of Beethoven, executed by Blasius Höfel after a pencil drawing by the French miniaturist Louis Letronne. The copper-plate engraving shows Beethoven at the highpoint of his public fame, following the premiere of his "Battle" Symphony, "Wellington's Victory or the Battle of Vittoria", op 91, which was very well received, and the successful revival of his opera "Fidelio", op. 72. Beethoven obviously greatly admired this portrait - he said it did him justice and sent copies with personal dedications to his Bonn friends, Gerhard Wegeler, Johann Heinrich Crevelt and Nikolaus Simrock. In Vienna Blasius Höfer's likeness - and the artist himself - became so quickly well-known that the portrait was re-engraved the following year by Karl Traugott Riedel in Leipzig. As it was used for the frontispiece of the Leipzig periodical "Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung" in 1817 it soon became widely spread.(S.B.)