Beethoven with the Manuscript of the Missa Solemnis by Joseph Karl Stieler

Original, framed (8 x 10 in (20.3 x 25.4 cm)): INR 12,000 / USD 1,369
A5 print (A5, 5.8 x 8.3 in (14.8 x 21 cm)): INR 2,800 / USD 319
A5 print, A3 frame (A5, 5.8 x 8.3 in (14.8 x 21 cm)): INR 4,000 / USD 459

Hand-painted oil study after Joseph Karl Stieler, by Riya Kumari

After Joseph Karl Stieler, Beethoven with the manuscript of the Missa solemnis, 1820 Supposedly the only painting Ludwig van Beethoven, the German composer, sat for in his lifetime. Beethoven allowed only 3-4 sittings as he considered having his portrait made penance and Stieler painted most of the painting without him. This is arguably one of the most famous paintings of Beethoven and has inspired many later works such as by Andy Warhol. This is a close-up study of the painting.

About the painting

Beethoven with the Manuscript of the Missa Solemnis, Joseph Karl Stieler, 1820

Artist: Joseph Karl Stieler
Year: 1820
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: about 62 × 50 cm (24.5 × 19.5 in)
Where it hangs: Beethoven-Haus, Bonn

Who painted the famous portrait of Beethoven?

Joseph Karl Stieler, in the spring of 1820, when Beethoven was 49. Beethoven sat for him only a few times, so Stieler painted most of it without him. He holds the score of the Missa Solemnis, the mass he was writing then, and looks up as if mid-thought.

Where is the original?

In the Beethoven-Haus in Bonn, the house where Beethoven was born. It is oil on canvas, about 62 × 50 cm (sources differ slightly). It became the best-known image of him, and later works, among them Andy Warhol’s, are based on it.