Mark Windisch
This portrait of Handel by Balthasar Denner (1685-1749) hangs in the German Historical Museum in Unter den Linden in Berlin. Readers will have noted that the dates in German are correct, but the English translation gives a birth year 10 years later. This was pointed out to the Museum staff who were somewhat surprised by the error and the fact that no one had noticed it before!
The portrait was painted in 1709 when Handel was Kappelmeister to the Elector of Hannover and says incorrectly that Handel travelled with the Elector to London in 1714. He was already established in London when the Elector arrived there.
Balthasar Denner was born in Altona near Hamburg nine months after Handel. It is surmised that he knew Handel personally since they were both acquainted with Barthold Heinrich Brockes, famous for the Brockes Passion, and Denner was known to have an interest in music.
Denner stayed in London for six weeks in 1715 and had similar experiences to Handel, becoming friendly with several members of the English aristocracy who had invited him to England. He accordingly brought his family to London in 1721. Here he painted the more famous portrait of Handel in 1726-28 which hangs in the National Portrait Gallery.
Unfortunately Denner’s health began to deteriorate. He returned to Hamburg in 1728 and never visited England again.