Ferdo Quiquerez
Ferdinand von Quiquerez-Beaujeu was a Croatian painter of French ancestry.Life
He originally intended to pursue a career in law, but began to study painting with József Ferenc Mücke, who soon redirected his interests. His patriotic inclinations led him to specialize in historical and folkloric works. In 1870, a scholarship enabled him to attend the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich where he studied under Johann Leonhard Raab and Karl von Piloty. Poor health, however, led him to transfer to the Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia where he continued his studies with Pompeo Marino Molmenti. He was still not happy, so he moved about copying the old masters in Florence and Rome.
During his travels, he met fellow Croatian painter Izidor Kršnjavi, who encouraged him to continue studying ancient art rather than go to Paris, as Quiquerez wanted to do. In 1875, he went to Montenegro where he worked as a war artist during a campaign against the Ottomans. Upon his return to Zagreb in 1878, he worked as a drawing teacher in a secondary school.
Among his most popular history paintings are the Coming of the Croats, the Coronation of King Zvonimir and Kosovo Girl.
