Johann Zoffany
German, 1733 - 1810
NationalityBritish
BiographyPainter of portraits and conversation pieces. Zoffany began his career as a painter and engraver in Regensburg, Germany, but during the 1750s he absorbed the tenets and forms of Ancient and Renaissance art on travels in Italy. By 1760 he had left the continent for England, where he was to make his name in the burgeoning genre of the conversation piece. Zoffany's patrons included the famous actor David Garrick and Queen Charlotte, also a German. He came one of the most sought-after artists of his day. Zoffany left England for Italy in 1772, but when he returned seven years later, he found his work largely out of favor. In 1783 he moved to India, hoping to find a steady clientele among the ever-growing British community there; he returned to England a wealthy man in 1789.Person TypeIndividual
