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The Artist's Studio
About the Artwork
Johann Georg Platzer specialized in small, highly detailed paintings scaled for a connoisseur’s cabinet. At the center of this composition is an idealized portrait of the artist himself, clad in a fur-lined robe and holding a painting for the inspection of a visiting connoisseur. This work makes a statement about painting as a noble and intellectual pursuit, and the importance of rigorous training and practice: the artist at the easel is surrounded by a studio teeming with live models, pupils, assistants, and inspiring examples of art from earlier eras. The paintings on the wall, easel, and floor not only reference great artists of the past, but together present an allegory of the five senses.
Inscriptions
Signed lower left "JG Platzer"; inscribed on print lower center left "Spranger"
Quick Overview
- Artist
- Johann Georg Platzer (Austrian, 1704–1761)
- Date
- 1740s–50s
- Medium
- oil on copper
- Dimensions
- Framed: 55.6 x 73.3 cm (21 7/8 x 28 7/8 in.); Unframed: 41.9 x 60 cm (16 1/2 x 23 5/8 in.)
- Type
- Painting
- Classification
- Painting
- Department
- European Painting and Sculpture
- Credit line
- Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund by exchange
- Accession no.
- 2012.41
More by Johann Georg Platzer in museum collections
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Open-access museum record · AT-00009162
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