Franz Catel, a German artist, born in Berlin, Feb. 22, 1778, died in Rome. Dec. 19, 1856. His early works were designs for illustrated al-manacs, and he first acquired reputation by his illustrations of Goethe's Hermann unci Dorothea. He went to Paris in 1807. where he was led to abandon water colors and begin paint-ing in oil. At this time, however, he designed a series of beautiful vignettes for Caro's Italian version of the AEneid. Going to Rome in 1809, he painted historical, genre, and landscape subjects successively, and greatly modified the style which he had acquired at Paris. In 1834 he painted a "Resurrection of Christ" for the Luisenkirche at Charlottenburg near Berlin, a large work containing many figures. With this exception, his most celebrated paintings are landscapes. Of these, his views of Naples, Vesuvius, Sorrento, Salerno, and in Sicily, to which island he went in 1818, are considered the best. His works found their way over all Europe, and as they commanded high prices he became rich.

In 1841 he was made a member and professor of the academy of Berlin. He left his fortune to be invested for the benefit of poor artists.