Abstract (englisch)

One of the best-known portraits said to be of W. A. Mozart is the so-called "Tischbein-Mozart", allegedly painted during Mozart's life time by a member of the Tischbein artists' dynasty. Though both the identity of the sitter and of the artist have been controversially debated in the past 170 years, the "Tischbein-Mozart" has been often used to illustrate what Mozart looked like. Thus the motif has become deeply ingrained in the public perception. However, a recently made surprising discovery can provide an answer to the real identity of the sitter. A few years ago a 1788 drawing from Mainz has come into focus, representing the composer and pianist Johann Franz Xaver Sterkel. It is the drawing's title in black ink that reveals Sterkel's identity. Sterkel was employed at the court of Electoral Mainz at that time, just like painter Anton Wilhelm Tischbein. This drawing, a masterpiece of high quality itself, shows an eery resemblance to the famous "Tischbein-Mozart" painting. In this paper, following a detailed analysis, we argue that the drawing might be a preparing sketch for the painting. In turn, the famous depiction of Mozart might not be him after all, but his contemporary, Franz Xaver Sterkel.