Charles Frederick de Brocktorff facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Charles Frederick de Brocktorff
|
|
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1775–1785 |
| Died | 1850 |
| Nationality | German-Danish |
| Occupation | Artist |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  Electorate of Hanover |
| Service/ |
King's German Legion |
| Battles/wars | Napoleonic Wars |
Charles Frederick de Brocktorff was a talented artist from Germany and Denmark. He lived from about 1775 or 1785 until 1850. He is most famous for his beautiful watercolour paintings of the island of Malta in the early 1800s.
Charles Frederick de Brocktorff's Life Story
Brocktorff was likely born between 1775 and 1785. He served as an officer in the King's German Legion. This was a special army unit from the Electorate of Hanover that fought during the Napoleonic Wars.
In 1809, he left the army. He then moved to the United Kingdom. Around 1810, he moved again, this time to the island of Malta. Malta was a British protectorate at that time. He decided to stay there and opened his own art studio in Valletta, Malta's capital city.
Brocktorff became a very successful artist. His family also helped with his art business. Four of his sons followed in his footsteps and became artists too.
What Did Charles Frederick de Brocktorff Paint?
Many people who visited Malta or served in the British army there asked Brocktorff to paint for them. He created many watercolours showing different parts of the islands. He also painted portraits of Maltese people from various walks of life.
His paintings show many famous places in Valletta. These include Saint John's Co-Cathedral, the Governor's Palace, and the National Library. He also painted scenes of the busy Grand Harbour and the Three Cities.
Brocktorff also captured the beauty of Malta's countryside. He painted ancient ruins like Ġgantija and the Xagħra Stone Circle in Gozo. His paintings of the Xagħra Stone Circle are very important. They show exactly what the site looked like before it was partly damaged in the 1830s. Because of his detailed work, an archaeologist named David H. Trump even named the site the Brocktorff Circle in 1972.
Today, two special albums of Brocktorff's watercolours are kept at the National Library of Malta. One album belonged to Frederick Cavendish Ponsonby, who was the Governor of Malta around 1829 or 1830. The other album was put together in 1849 by Henry Benjamin Hanbury Beaufoy. He bought the paintings at an auction. Both albums were bought by the library in the 1920s.
Brocktorff's sons, Luigi and Giovanni de Brockdorff, also made art. They published several lithographic prints in Malta in the early 1800s.
