Ellenrieder, Marie (1791-1863)

Ellenrieder, Marie

PAINTER (GERMANY)

BORN 20 Mar 1791, Konstanz, Baden-Württemberg - DIED 5 Jun 1863, Konstanz, Baden-Württemberg
GRAVE LOCATION Konstanz, Baden-Württemberg: Hauptfriedhof, Riesenbergweg 12

Marie Ellenrieder was the daughter of Konrad Ellenrieder, who was a watchmaker. Her mother Maria Anna was the daughter of the painter Franz Ludwig Hermann (1723-1791). She was educated by Dominican nuns in Konstanz. She was an apprentice to the painter Joseph Eisle (1774-1829). In 1813 she was the first female artist to be admitted to the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, supported by Ignaz Heinrich von Wessenberg (1774-1860). She painted him in 1819. After her studies she worked for the courts in southwestern Germany and created Catholic sacred art.

In 1818 she was invited to the Hohenzollern court in Sigmaringen and in 1819 to the Fürstenberg court in Donaueschingen, where she painted Carl Egon II and his wife Amalie von Baden. In 1820 she worked at the court of Baden in Karlsruhe. From 1822 to 1824 she lived in Rome where she studied with the Nazareners Louise Seidler, Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, Philipp Veit and Friedrich Overbeck. In 1824 she travelled from Rome to Florence with Katharina von Predl. In Florence they stayed with Johann Baptist Metzger (1771-1844).

After her return to Konstanz she abandoned portrait painting and concentrated on religious art. In 1829 Ludwig I von Baden appointed her as court painter, which included an annual salary of 300 guilders. In 1832 she moved to Karlsruhe for two years to paint a large painting of Grand Duchess Sophie and her children. In 1839 she visited Rome again but it did not inspire her like her first visit to that city. In 1847 and 1849 she created two religious paintings for Queen Victoria. She died in 1863 in Konstanz and was buried at the Hauptfriedhof.

Images

The grave of Marie Ellenrieder at the Hauptfriedhof in Konstanz, Baden-Württemberg.
Picture by Androom (06 Feb 2026)