Philippe jacques de loutherbourg biography books

French-born English painter

Philip James de LoutherbourgRA (31 October 1740 – 11 March 1812), whose name is sometimes given in the French form of Philippe-Jacques, the German form of Philipp Jakob, or with the English-language epithet of the Younger, was a French-born British painter who became known for his large naval works, his elaborate set designs for London theatres, and his invention of a mechanical theatre called the "Eidophusikon".

He also had an interest in faith-healing and the occult, and was a companion of the confidence-trickster Alessandro Cagliostro.^[1]

Early life

Loutherbourg was born in Strasbourg in 1740, the son of an expatriate Polishminiature painter.^[1] Intended for the Lutheran ministry, he was educated at the University of Strasbourg.^[2]

Paris

Rejecting a religious calling, Loutherbourg decided to become a painter, and in 1755 placed himself under Charles-And