Joseph Archer Crowe

Joseph Archer Crowe (* October 25, 1825 in London, † September 6, 1896 in Gamburg ) was an English art historian and writer, illustrator, watercolorist and draftsman and diplomat.

Joseph Archer Crowe, brother of the painter Eyre Crowe received his first art lessons in 1836 in Paris with Charles Etienne Brasseur, then in 1840 with Paul Delaroche together with his brother and returned back to London in 1853. Now he turned to writing and wrote for the Morning Chronicle and the Daily News.

He studied this art in the Netherlands and visited for the purpose in 1846 Belgium and Cologne, Berlin and Vienna in 1847, then Northern Italy, on which journey he met in Germany with Giovanni Battista Cavalcaselle.

With this joint he was working in London the work The early Flemish painters, after its completion in manuscript ( 1853), they immediately began with the preparatory studies for the history of Italian painting.

An interruption took place in that Crowe went as a draftsman and correspondent 1853-56 in Turkey and the Crimea. For the return journey he stayed to study art in Italy, and after his return he had the history of Early Netherlandish painting in 1857 appear in print ( 2nd ed London. 1875).

1857 went Crowe as director of the art school in Bombay, had already left two years later for health reasons but India, after which he was a correspondent for the derTimes French-Italian -Austrian war.

1860 the British government appointed him consul general in Leipzig, 1872 in Dusseldorf. In addition to his official and political activity, he used his leisure hours and leisure travel to operate the art in theory and practice.

His edited with Cavalcaselle main works are: the New history of painting in Italy ( Lond. 1864-72, 6 vols, translated by Max Jordan into German, Leipzig, 1869-76 ); The life of Titian (London 1876; German of Jordan, Leipzig 1877) and Raphael (London 1883; German by Karl Aldenhoven, Leipzig 1883).

Initially admired as fundamental and epoch-making, the work of Crowe and Cavalcaselle now experience a more level-headed examination, which limits its value.

He was the father of the diplomat Eyre Crowe.