KUPETZKY, JOHANN, a celebrated portrait painter, was born at Booing, or Bozin, near Freeburg In Hungary, ht 1666 or 1667. His father, originally of a Bohemian family, was a poor weaver, and he intended his son to follow his own business; Kupetzky however fled from home when only fifteen years of age, begged his way to Switzer land, and there, at Lucerne, obtained Admission into the house of a painter of the name of Klan., who instruetod him in painting, and was 1010 surpassed by his mil. Kupetzky, after a time, found his way to Rome, where he underwent many hardships until he was relieved and introduced by his friend J. C. Fit-sli to the principal painters and virtuosi at Rome. Alexander Sobioaky became a valuable patron to him. After a stay of twenty-two years in Italy he was invited by the Prince Adam von Lichtenatein to Vienna, where he soon obtained the reputation of the first portrait painter of his time, lie numbered among his patrons and admirers the emperors Joseph L and Charles VI., and the Prince Eugene ; and in 1710 he was invited by Peter the Groat to Carlsbad. Peter wished Kupetzky to enter his service and to return with him to Petersburg, but Kupetzky was food of his liberty, and would never enter the service of any prince. The Czar Peter gave him many commissions notwithstanding his refusal to eater his service. Kupetzky, who belonged to the sect called the Bohemian Brothers, requested of the emperor of Austria that he might be allowed to worship God in his own way. This liberty however very
nearly involved him in serious difficulties, as lie was aceneed, or threat ened to be accused, by some of his rivals, of malignant heresy. Fear of the Inquisition appears to have taken possession of him, and he secretly left Vienna and settled in Nurnberg, where he died in 1740. Kupetzky painted history and portrait, but chiefly purtrait. His pic tures have a great deal of character and much effect : his friend and admirer Fiissli goes so far as to say they combine the vigour of Ruben!, the truth and elegance of Vandyck, and the effect of Itetubraudt. Mealy of his portraits and some of his pictures have been engraved, especially by Bernhard Vogel, in mezzotint. The prints engraved by Vogel were added to by V. D. Preissler and published in a collection in folio at Niirnberg in 1745, under the following title := Jeannie Kupetzky, ineomparabilis artifieis, Imagines et Picturm quotquot earum hnberi potuerunt, antes ad quinque dodecadea arts quam vocant nigra Bari incise, a Bernhardo Vogelio, jam vero similiter continuntaa opera et sumptibus Valentini Danielle Preissleri, Chalcographi: Kupetzky's portrait of himself, in spectacles, a work of remarkable merit, has been copied by L. do Laborde, from Vogel's print, and is inserted as a specimen in his history of mezzotint engraving—' Histoire da la Gravure en Mani6re Noire.' J. C. Fang published a life of Kupetzky, with one of liugeadas, at Zurich. in 1758.