Martin Theophil Polak

Place: Lemberg

Born: 1570

Death: 1639

Biography:

Martin Theophil Polak, also known as Marcin Teofilowicz, was a Polish painter born in Lemberg in 1570. He was a painter of the early Baroque period, mainly active in the County of Tyrol and the Bishopric of Trent. He was a pupil of Martin Kober in Krakow and later moved to Prague. In 1597, he arrived in Innsbruck with Archduke Maximilian the German Knight. He spent over 20 years in the Bishopric of Trent, serving as the court painter for Cardinal and Prince-Bishop Carlo Gaudenzio Madruzzo in Trent from 1608. He made several trips to Italy between 1610 and 1622, particularly to Bologna, Florence, and Venice, where he was influenced by the work of Antonio da Correggio. In 1626, he became the court painter for Leopold V in Innsbruck. In 1636, a fire destroyed his residence and studio, the Ruhelust, along with his possessions and paintings. He then moved to Brixen, where he served as the court painter for Prince-Bishop Wilhelm von Welsperg. He founded several scholarships for the 'lernbegierige Jugend' (learning youth) before his death in Brixen in 1639. He was buried in the Collegiate Church in Brixen.