Welcome to the brand new Arthive! Discover a full list of new features here.

Johann
Rudolf Huber

Switzerland • Kanton Bern • 1668−1748

Biography and information

Born April 21 (May 1) 1668 in Basel. Came from an ancient clan Huber.

He received his first drawing lessons at the age of ten in the family. Then he studied in the studio of the Basel portrait painter Johann Caspar Meyer (1645-1705). In 1683, Johann Huber entered the home academy of the artist and engraver Joseph Werner [de] in Bern. In 1685 he studied with the German master Niklaus Dachselhofer (1634-1707). In the same year he went to Venice. Here in 1686 he found work with a native of Holland artist Cavaliere Tempesta (1637-1701), painted many portraits. In 1689, Huber entered the Roman Academy of St. Luke, where he became a student of the famous Carlo Maratta. After six years in Italy, he arrived in Paris through Geneva and Lyon.

In the spring of 1693 he returned to Basel and was soon enrolled in the Zunft zum Himmel guild. The following year he was elected to the board of the guild and at the same time to the Grand Council of Basel. In 1694, Huber met with the Margrave of Baden-Durlach Frederick VII and in 1696 with the Duke of Württemberg, Eberhard Ludwig. I received an order for a portrait of the bride of the Duke - Princess Johanna Elizabeth of Baden-Durlakh. In June 1697, Johann Rudolph went to Stuttgart to the Duke, where he became his court painter. He also took part in painting part of the premises of his castle in Stuttgart in 1698 (almost all of them were damaged during the fire in 1931). In 1699, Huber left the Württemberg Court for unknown reasons. In Stuttgart, he met with the German poet and translator Karl Drollinger [de], with whom he had developed many years of friendship.

Since the fall of 1702, Huber worked for the most part in Bern, often visiting Basel. In 1705, they created a portrait of Suzanne Stürler (German: Susanna Margaretha Stürler, 1668-1740) in the image of a mollusk. Suzanne and her husband Johann Frisching were one of Huber's best clients in Bern. At this time, Johann Rudolf Huber took part in political affairs, in particular, was a party to the Baden Treaty after the war for the Spanish inheritance. He worked in the Berne registry, was elected to the Basel Small Council, holding this post until his death.

He died on February 28, 1748 in Basel.