The American Cyclopædia (1879)/Denner, Balthasar

DENNER, Balthasar, a German portrait painter, born in Hamburg in 1685, died there, April 14, 1747. He was employed by Frederick the Great and other German princes, and was invited by George I. to England, where he met with little encouragement. His chief merit consists in the mechanical finish of his pictures, some of which require to be examined with a magnifying glass in order that the labors of the artist may be appreciated. In his head of an old woman in the gallery of Vienna the down on the cheeks and the pores of the skin are represented with scrupulous exactness. This picture was purchased by the emperor Charles VI. for 4,700 imperial florins, and the artist was commissioned to furnish a companion piece of an old man, which is not less carefully finished. His pictures were in great request in his day and brought very high prices.