Early 19th century portrait of a nobleman, titled on the back of canvas Wilhelm Jackson. it was attributed due to the manner, composition , time of creation to the hand of Franz Xaver (Franciszek Ksawery) Ferdinand von Lampi (1782 Klagenfurt - 1852 Warsaw), who  was the youngest son of the famous Johann Baptist Lampi the Elder (1751-1830) and a younger brother of the better known Johann Baptist Lampi the Younger (1775-1837). In his early youth he showed a talent for art and together with his elder brother attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, where he was trained by Maurer, Duvivier and Fueger. Following his father's will, the artist married when he was young. The marriage was a source of many disagreements with the father, who finally disinherited his son. 

In 1814 Lampi left Vienna and went to Hungary where he was active as a portraitist. In 1815 he arrived to Warsaw, the city he liked so much that it became a place of his permanent residence until his death. In the meantime, though, Lampi undertook numerous painting trips, sometimes long, sometimes short: to Cracow (1817-1818), then to Lemberg (now Lvov, Ukraine), Kalisz, Lublin and Vilna (now Vilnius, Lithuania). In 1823 he stayed in Vienna for a short time (was this portrait painted during this stay?), around 1836 spent a longer period of time in Breslau (Wroclaw), in 1840 lived in Dresden, Munich and Berlin. In 1852 the artist - like many others - became a victim of cholera epidemic, which captured Warsaw at that time.
Lampi was a productive painter, and many of his works are displayed in museum and private collections in Poland. Along with portraits, he created historical, landscape and church paintings, although portrait always remained his main subject. Lampi was also a skilled art teacher. He taught - among athers - Michalowski and Stattler, in 1841 became a director of his own art school. His exhibitions took place in Warsaw in 1838, 1840 and 1845.

Literature: artist lexicon by Thieme/Becker, on-line Wikipedia in German and Polish.

Inscription: titled on back of the canvas with name of the sitter "Wilhelm Jackson”.

Technique: oil on canvas, original period Austrian "Ochsenzungen” frame.

Measuremwnts: unframed 22 3/4" x 28 1/8" (58 x 71,5 cm), framed 30 1/3" x 35 1/2"(77 x 90 cm).

Condition: good, professionally cleaned , original canvas, original frame.