KAULBACH. WiruELAr vox (1S05-74). A German historical painter. He was born at Arolsen, Westphalia, October 15. 1805. His first lessons in design were from his father, a goldsmith and line-engraver, and in 1821-25 he studied at Dusseldorf under Cornelius and He followed Cornelius to Munich in 1826, and decorated the Odeon there with frescoes of Apollo and the Muses, in the style of his master. In the same style are his frescoes in the arcades of the Court garden, with figures of Bavaria and her four chief rivers. Of quite different char acter was his "Madhouse" ("Irre»haus," 1334), based on reminiscences of an insane asylum at Dffsseldorf, which he decorated with frescoes— an intensely naturalistic production. his six teen frescoes of the story of Cupid and Psyche, in Prince Maximilian's palace, on the other hand. were antique in style. Besides the foregoing, Kaulbach designed for King Louis the decora tions of the K6nigsbau with subjects from KIop stock, Wieland, and Goethe. In 1834 he finished the cartoon of the "Battle of the Huns." his "Destruction of Jerusalem by Titus." designed in 1837-38, is a strange conglomeration of history and symbolism. There is a fine replica in oil in the Munich Pinakothek.
In 1847 Kaulbach succeeded Cornelius as direc tor of the Munich Academy. In his designs for frescoes for the exterior of the New Pinakothek, glorifying the development of the arts under Louis 1., he introduced an element of satire which aroused great opposition. Eis decorations for the staircase of the Berlin Museum (1347-66) are an apotheosis of the evolution of human cul ture, in six colossal mural paintings, representing the chief epochs: "The Fall of Babel," "Greek Culture," "Destruction of Jerusalem," "Battle of the Huns," "The Crusaders Before Jerusalem," "Age of the Reformation." In 1S59 he painted "Otho III. in the Vault of Charlemagne," for the Germanic Museum at Nuremberg. His satire
had already excited the wrath of the Eltramon tane Party, and Kaulbach retorted in 1S71 with a grisaille cartoon in oil of Peter Arbues. His last works, like the "Battle of Salamis," in the Maximilianemn. Munich, and "Nero." show de cline. During this period he painted a number of portraits, severe and noble in style, among the best of which are one of himself, in the Germanic Museum. Nuremberg. and Louis I. and Alximi lian II., in the New Pinakothek. He was loaded with honors, German and foreign. being made an officer of the Legion of Honor and corre sponding member of the Institut de France, Grand Commander of the Order of Saint Michael, etc. Ile died of the cholera at Munich, April 7, 1874.
Kaulbaeh is well known as a designer for en gravings. In this work his satire and skillful portrayal of character had full play. lie made a thorough study of Hogarth, as is evident in his illustrations of Schiller's rerbreeher aus rer lorener Ehrc, and Goethe's Faust. He also de signed a "Shakespeare Gallerie" and a "Goethe Gallerie." Best of all are his illustrations of Cloethe's Reineke Fuchs, in imitation of Grand ville's See'urs de la rie des animaux.
Kaulbach's works express the historical knowl edge and philosophic thought of his age. He was endowed by nature with a fine sense of form and a strong power of characterization, but under the inthience of the Cornelian School his figures became sensuous. and his characterization de generated into satire. Among his sitters were the Empress, of Austria, Frederick William as Crown Prince and his three sons, and Prince Albrecht of Prussia. Consult: H. Muller, Wilhelm von Kaul beat (Berlin, 1813) ; Woltmann, 'Vier Jah-•hun &Tic nicdertundisch-deulsehe• Kunslycsehichlo (Berlin, 1373).