Richter, Jean Paul

Dealer and historian of Italian art who served as the middle-man between Donna Laura Minghetti and Theodore Davis in the acquisition of the 'Donna Laura Minghetti Leonardo.' As an academic, he focused his studies on Leonardo Da Vinci.

Claire Summa

"Ritcher, Jean Paul." Dictionary of the Art Historians. Dictionary of Art Historians, n.d. Web. Date Accessed: April 2016.

Because his father was a respected clergyman, Richter started off in theology, traveling through Europe and the East frequently as a student. This led to a job writing for Karl Baedecker, who published infamously non-PC travel guides. He met Morelli in 1876, who heavily influenced his career and provided him with letters of introduction when he moved to London in 1877. He first published in 1878, and then turned his focus to the Italian Renaissance (following Morelli's Method). In 1883 he published "Literary Works of Leonardo," a scholarly examination of his notebooks and other works. Richter is responsible for introducing the young American art historian, Bernard Berenson, another Morelli disciple. Starting in April of 1898, Richter began meeting with Theodore and Emma for lunch and other social occasions, to discuss art and eventually the 'Donna Laura Minghetti Leonardo.' He and Theodore physically acquired the painting on April 20th, 1898.

Ritcher continued life as a scholar of Leonardo, publishing more books on art. He was a very successful collector and dealer. His personal collecting philosophy was to only own one work of a particular artist, and then sell that work if he acquired a better work from that artist. A businessman at heart, he often chose personal monetary gain (dealing) over artistic scholarship and preservation (donation to a museum); this led to a controversial reputation for most of his career. His last book, co-written with his daughter, another art historian, was published just after his death in Lugano, Switzerland.

1847

Dreden, Germany

1937

Dealer and historian of Italian art, with a focus on Leonardo Da Vinci.

Seybold, Dietrich. "The Mysterious 'Donna Laura Minghetti Leonardo': Re-opening the Case." Microstory of Art, 17 Feb. 2016. Web. Date Accessed: March 2016.

Andrews, Emma B.Journal on the Bedawin, Volume 5 : 1897-1898.

His father was the distinguished Lutheran clergyman, Karl Edmund Richter.

Dealer and historian of Italian art who served as the middle-man between Donna Laura Minghetti and Theodore Davis in the acquisition of the 'Donna Laura Minghetti Leonardo.' As an academic, he focused his studies on Leonardo Da Vinci.