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Eduard von Steinle prints bring the gentle piety, fairy-tale romance and fine drawing of the German Nazarene painters into your home. Steinle was a Viennese-born painter who worked mostly in Frankfurt, where he decorated churches with frescoes, taught at the Städel and illustrated the Rhine legends of Clemens Brentano. Our collection of fine art prints covers his religious works, Romantic genre scenes, fairy-tale watercolours and drawings.

About Eduard von Steinle

Eduard (Edward) von Steinle was born in Vienna on 2 July 1810. He studied at the Vienna Academy and with Leopold Kupelwieser, and in 1828 went to Rome, where he joined the circle of the Nazarene painters Friedrich Overbeck and Philipp Veit and stayed until 1833. Back in Vienna he married Karoline Kern in 1834, then learned fresco technique from Peter von Cornelius in Munich.

He settled in Frankfurt am Main and in 1850 became the first professor at the Städel Institute, where Frederic Leighton was among his students. He painted frescoes for Rheineck Castle, angel choirs in the choir of Cologne Cathedral (1843–46), the Judgement of Solomon for Frankfurt's Kaisersaal, murals for the Wallraf-Richartz Museum in Cologne and the choirs of churches in Aachen and Strasbourg. In 1880 he was commissioned to decorate the interior of Frankfurt Cathedral.

He was raised to the Austrian knighthood in 1879. He died in Frankfurt in September 1886. A street beside the Städel museum is named after him.

Style and Subjects

Steinle belonged to the Nazarenes, German painters who looked back to Raphael and the early Renaissance for a pure, devout Christian art. His religious works have clear drawing, gentle colour and calm, graceful figures.

He also painted Romantic genre scenes, such as his tower watchman and violinist in a belfry, and many watercolours of fairy tales and poetry, inspired by his friendship with the poet Clemens Brentano and by Shakespeare.

Famous Works

• Saint Luke Painting the Virgin (1838), Royal Collection, UK. The evangelist painting the Madonna, a Nazarene subject.
• Mary Adoring the Sleeping Jesus (1847), Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest. A tender devotional scene.
• Violinist in the Belfry Window (1858), Städel Museum, Frankfurt. A musician playing high above the town, a Romantic genre scene.
• The Tower Watchman (1859), Bavarian State Painting Collections (Schack Collection), Munich. A watchman keeping guard over the sleeping town.
• The Loreley (1864), Bavarian State Painting Collections, Munich. The Rhine siren on her rock.
• Saint Wenzel Cooking Hosts as Two Youths Press Wine (1866), National Gallery of Art, Washington. A drawing of the saintly king.
• Scenes from the Tale of the Miller Radlauf. Watercolours for Brentano's Rhine fairy tales.
• Portrait of Agnes von Steinle, Städel Museum, Frankfurt. His daughter.

Decorating with Steinle Prints

Steinle's fairy-tale watercolours, like Rhine Song, are charming in a child's room, reading nook or library, and his religious works suit a quiet study or chapel corner.

His Romantic genre scenes, such as the violinist in the belfry, make an atmospheric picture for a hallway or music room.

FAQ

Who was Eduard von Steinle?

Eduard von Steinle (1810–1886) was an Austrian painter of the Nazarene school who worked mainly in Frankfurt, known for church frescoes, religious paintings and fairy-tale watercolours.

Who were the Nazarenes?

The Nazarenes were German-speaking painters who worked in Rome in the early 19th century and sought to revive devout Christian art in the spirit of the early Renaissance. Steinle joined Overbeck and Veit there in 1828.

Did Steinle teach Frederic Leighton?

Yes. The English painter Frederic Leighton studied under him in Frankfurt.

Where can I see Steinle's work?

The Städel Museum in Frankfurt, the Bavarian State Painting Collections in Munich and Cologne Cathedral hold his work; his frescoes are in churches in Cologne, Aachen and Frankfurt.

Related Artists

• Philipp Veit: fellow Nazarene he joined in Rome
• Peter von Cornelius: taught him fresco painting in Munich
• Leopold Kupelwieser: his teacher in Vienna
• Frederic Leighton: his student in Frankfurt
• Moritz von Schwind: Romantic painter of fairy tales of the same era