Only one painter made a verifiable portrait of Bach from life: Elias Gottlob Haussmann, who was born in Gera, Germany in 1695 where he died in 1774. He was first a court painter in Dresden and finally the official portraitist of the town of Leipzig. In 1746, J.S. Bach sat for him at the age of 61, and this stern looking portrait of Bach in his older years is the only certain image of the composer.
While this is true, there are some other images of Bach that are potentially authentic, but most importantly, there is a vast treasure trove of images representing Bach throughout the centuries, even if not accurate to life, of certain interest. We will try to showcase a number of them here for your viewing pleasure and inspiration.
If you have other recommendations, please share them with us with a note about your selection.
Portrait by Elias Gottlob Haussmann, held at the Bach-Archiv, Leipzig
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