Izidor Veys
Poland- Isidore Weiss
- Head of the Drawing Department
- Masonic Affiliation
- Notable Works
- Album of Franciszek Smuglewicz's Prints
- Works for Stroynowski's "Nauka Prawa"
- Legacy
Isidore Weiss
Isidore Weiss, an Austrian-born engraver and book illustrator, was the brother of David Weiss and father of Felix Weiss. Having studied in Vienna, he arrived from Berlin, where he owned an engraving press.
Head of the Drawing Department
In 1805, Weiss became the head of the Drawing Department (Graphics) at the Imperial University of Vilnius. He taught students the technique of aquatint and other forms of graphics. He also established an engraving press and a store.
Masonic Affiliation
Weiss was a member of the Masonic order. His graphic studio was located in Frank's house on Bolshoi Street in Vilnius.
Notable Works
Weiss executed several engravings based on paintings and drawings by Jan Rustem. He also created portraits of Leonty Bennigsen, Joseph Haydn, and Hieronim Stroynowski. From 1814 to 1815, he produced playing cards designed by Rustem and engraved by Gotlieb Kisling.
Album of Franciszek Smuglewicz's Prints
In 1820, Weiss published an album of prints by Franciszek Smuglewicz on topics related to Lithuanian history. For the magazine "Dziennik Wileński" (1805), he engraved vignettes, portraits, and genre compositions.
Works for Stroynowski's "Nauka Prawa"
Weiss illustrated Hieronim Stroynowski's treatise "Nauka Prawa Przyrodzonego, Politycznego, Ekonomiki Politycznej i Prawa Narodów" (1805). For this publication, he engraved a portrait of the author by Brzozowski. In the Russian translation of the same work ("Nauka Prawa Prirodnago, Politicheskago, Gosudarstvennogo Khozyaistva i Prava Narodov"), published in Saint Petersburg in 1809, Weiss engraved a portrait of Stroynowski based on Rustem's portrait from 1807. The title vignette of the statutes of the Vilnius Charity Society ("Ustawy Towarzystwa Dobroczynności," 1808) was executed according to a drawing by Rustem.
Legacy
The burial place of Isidore Weiss is the Bernardine Cemetery. His artistic and educational contributions to Vilnius are remembered through his numerous engravings and his tenure as head of the Drawing Department at the university.
