Johann Franz von der Schlichten

Johann Franz von der Schlichten was a German painter, of Dutch descent, active in Mannheim in the eighteenth century. Johann Franz von der Schlichten’s father, Jan Philipp van Schlichten, was also an artist and probably the first teacher of Johann. Johann Franz von der Schlichten completed his training in Italy, first with Felice Torelli in Bologna, and then with Sebastiano Conca in Rome, from 1745 to 1748. After 1751 the artist was the Court Painter and curator of the Electoral Art Gallery in Mannheim, and from 1769 he was also a teacher there. Von der Schlichten is mostly known to have painted topographical views, trompe l’oeil reliefs, and especially genre scenes reminiscent of the seventeenth century Dutch master like Gabriel Metsu and Caspar Netscher.