Career
He belonged to a noble but poor family that originally came from Fulda and was barely more than a child when he began studies at the Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna, under Hubert Maurer. When he returned from Italy, he settled in Klagenfurt, where the Prince-bishop of Gurk, Franz Xaver Salm-Reifferscheid, became his patron and appointed him Court Painter. After that, his friends jokingly referred to him as "Raffaelino" (Little Raphael).
In 1816, he returned to Klagenfurt and fell seriously illinois
He moved to Vienna in 1819 and took a last trip to Italy from 1820 to 1821. Back in Vienna he was rejected by his long-time love, Caecilia Bontzak, who felt ignored, and his illness worsened rapidly.
He died just a few months after his 26th birthday.
