DENNER, BALTHASAR, a celebrated German portrait paiuter, was born in Altoua iu 1635. Of Denner's early life little is known ; ho lived some time with a painter at Danzig, aud after having dis tinguished himself at the courts of several Germau princes, came by the invitation of George I. to London. Here he spout a few years ; but ho excited more surprise than admiration, and his success not equalling his anticipations ho left this country in 1728. After per forming various journeys iu the north of Europe, and amassing considerable wealth, he died at Rostock, in Mecklenburg, in 1749, or, according to Vau Gool, nt Hamburg in 1747. Though Donner bestowed more labour upon his pictures than Imp painter probably ever did, he still contrived to paint a considerable number; some aro however more finished tbau others, but some are finished with a degree of attention to the minutia, incredible to those who have not examined them. In some cases recourse to the magnifyiug-glaas Is said to he necessary, to do justice to his laborious execution. Their
extraordinary finish is however almost their only, certainly their chief merit. Yet they were in considerable request in their day, and Donner received sums for them at least proportionate to the labour he bestowed upon them. There is tho head of an old woman in the gallery of Vienna, for which the Emperor Charles VL gave him 4700 imperial Herb's; Dennor's own portrait in his forty-second year, in a similar style, Is placed near it There are also two old heads of extra ordinarily high finish in the gallery of 1lunich, Italia to be tiro portraits of the artist's father and mother. Deaner painted many of the German princes, of his day, and three kings, one of whom, Frederic IV. of Denmark, he painted, according to Van Gool, about twenty times; the other two were Peter III. of Runk, aud Augustus II. of Poland. (Van Gool, Nieuwe Schintburg der Ncderiantsche Kunztschilders, Ite.)