1728-1779. German Neo-Classical painter, born
in Bohemia. He was court painter in Dresden
1745 and in Madrid 1761; he then worked
alternately in Rome and Spain. The ceiling
painting Parnassus 1761 (Villa Albani, Rome)
is an example of his work. Mengs's father was
a miniature painter at the Dresden court and
encouraged his son to specialize in
portraiture. In 1755 he met the art
connoisseur Johann Winckelmann (1717-68), a
founder of Neo-Classicism; Mengs adopted his
artistic ideals and wrote a treatise on
Beauty in Painting.