Franz Bauer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Franz Andreas Bauer
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| Born | 14 March 1758 Feldsberg, Empire of Austria
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| Died | 11 December 1840 (aged 82) Kew, England
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| Nationality | Austrian |
| Education | Father Norbert Boccius |
| Known for | Botanical illustrator |
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Notable work
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Delineations of Exotick Plants, Illustrations of Orchidaceous Plants, Strelitzia Depicta |
| Patron(s) | King George III |
Franz Andreas Bauer (who later changed his name to Francis) was an amazing Austrian artist. He was born on March 14, 1758, and passed away on December 11, 1840. He was especially good at drawing plants and tiny things seen through a microscope.
Early Life and Artistic Family
Franz was born in a place called Feldsberg, which is now Valtice in the Czech Republic. His father, Lucas Bauer, was a court painter for the Prince of Liechtenstein. This means he painted for the royal family! Franz had two brothers, Josef Anton and Ferdinand, who were also painters.
Sadly, Franz's father passed away in 1761. But his mother, Therese, made sure her three sons kept learning about art and drawing. Josef, the oldest, even took over his father's job as court painter and later became in charge of a famous art gallery in Vienna.
Learning to Draw Plants
Franz and his brother Ferdinand got their first real experience drawing plants when a kind monk named Father Norbert Boccius arrived in 1763. Under his guidance, they drew more than 2,000 watercolor pictures of plants! Imagine how much practice that was.
After that, they worked for Count Dietrichstein in Vienna, painting flowers. Franz helped illustrate books for Baron Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin and his son, Baron Joseph Franz von Jacquin, who worked at the beautiful Schönbrunn Imperial Gardens.
A New Life in London
Franz then traveled to London with Joseph Franz von Jacquin. There, he met a very important person named Sir Joseph Banks. Sir Joseph was a famous botanist (someone who studies plants) and explorer. He quickly saw how incredibly talented Franz was.
Sir Joseph Banks helped Franz get a special job as the main plant artist at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and its museum. This was a huge honor! Franz earned a good salary and stayed there for the rest of his life, creating many beautiful drawings of plants and even parts of the human body. He became a member of the Royal Society, which is a group of very smart scientists, and was even named 'Botanic Painter to His Majesty' by King George III.
Life and Work at Kew Gardens
By 1790, Franz was settled at Kew. He spent his days making very detailed paintings and drawings of flowers. He would often dissect (carefully cut open) flowers to draw their tiny parts, sometimes even using a microscope to see them better. He was also very careful to hand-color the printed copies of his work perfectly.
Franz also taught art to important people like Queen Charlotte and Princess Elizabeth. He even taught William Jackson Hooker, who later became a famous botanist himself. Franz often invited his friends and other botanists to his home.
He passed away in 1840 and is buried at St. Anne's Church, Kew, right next to another famous artist, Thomas Gainsborough. Franz Bauer left behind an amazing collection of art, including books like Delineations of Exotick Plants and Illustrations of Orchidaceous Plants, which he worked on with John Lindley.
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Famous Books with His Art
Franz Bauer's detailed drawings were featured in several important books about plants:
- Delineations of Exotick Plants cultivated in the Royal Garden at Kew: This book showed exotic plants grown at Kew Gardens. Franz drew and colored them, showing their parts according to the Linnean System (a way of classifying plants).
- The Genera and Species of Orchidaceous Plants: Franz made drawings for this book about orchids, which are a type of beautiful flower.
- Genera filicum; or Illustrations of the ferns, and other allied genera: This book featured Franz's original colored drawings of ferns and similar plants.
Images for kids
