Johann Caspar Fuessli

Johann Caspar Fuessli (1706–1782), Swiss, Johann Caspar Fuessli, a distinguished Swiss painter and writer, was born on January 3, 1706, in Zurich, where he also passed away on May 6, 1782. His early artistic training under his father, Hans Rudolf Füssli, a painter and Sustmeister of Horgen, laid the foundation for his future career. Fuessli furthered his education in Vienna from 1724 to 1731, studying under notable artists such as Martin van Meytens and Daniel Gran. His career as a portrait painter flourished at various southern German courts, including Rastatt, Ettlingen, and Mannheim, where his style was influenced by Johann Kupetzky and Georg Philipp Rugendas.
Returning to Zurich in 1736, Fuessli joined the Zunft zur Meisen and married Anna Elisabeth Waser. Beyond his artistic endeavors, he served as the city clerk of Zurich from 1757 to 1764 or 1767. Fuessli's legacy extends beyond his portraits, which were often reproduced using the mezzotint technique, to his role as an educator at his own art school and as a collector of Swiss art from the 16th and 17th centuries. His extensive network within the international art scene included figures like Johann Georg Wille and Johann Joachim Winckelmann. Fuessli's contributions as an art historian, particularly his pioneering lexicons on Swiss artists, despite some inaccuracies, were instrumental in laying the groundwork for Swiss art history.