Portrait of the Baroness of Bernus

Philipp Veit, born Feibisch Veit on February 13, 1793, in Berlin, emerged as a distinguished German painter aligned with the Nazarene movement. His early life was marked by the divorce of his parents, Simon Veit, a banker, and Brendel (later Dorothea Friederike), the eldest daughter of Moses Mendelssohn. Following his parents' separation in 1799, Veit lived with his mother and her new husband, Friedrich Schlegel, across Jena, Paris, and Cologne, before returning to his father in Berlin in 1806 to complete his schooling. His artistic journey began in earnest in 1808 at the Dresden Art Academy, under the tutelage of Friedrich Matthäi, who had also taught his older brother, Jonas. Influenced by his mother and Schlegel, Veit converted to Catholicism in 1810 alongside his brother. During the Wars of Liberation, Veit formed friendships with notable figures such as Joseph von Eichendorff and Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué. After leaving military service in 1814, he dedicated himself to painting, producing works like the portrait of Princess Wilhelm and completing a piece for the church in Heiligenstadt near Vienna. In 1815, he followed his brother to Rome, joining the German Romantics of the Lukasbund. There, he collaborated with Peter von Cornelius, Wilhelm von Schadow, and Friedrich Overbeck on the Casa Bartholdy frescoes, contributing 'Joseph bei der Frau des Potiphar' and 'Die sieben fetten Jahre,' now housed in Berlin's National Gallery. His marriage to Carolina Pulini in 1821, daughter of sculptor Gioacchino Pulini, marked the beginning of a family life that would include five children. Veit's legacy as a Nazarene artist is cemented by his contributions to religious and historical painting, blending Romantic ideals with a revival of medieval art forms.