Briefwechsel

Johann Georg Wille (1715-1808) was a German engraver from Hesse who settled in Paris in 1736 and practiced his art there until his death in 1808. He soon became the central figure in a wide-ranging network of correspondents extending across Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Denmark. His correspondence gives a precise chronology of his relations with artists (A.R. Mengs, C.W.E. Dietrich), writers (J.J. Winckelmann, S. Gessner), art patrons (C.L. von Hagedorn) and visitors to Paris. As such it represents an important document on European art and culture transfer in the second half of the 18th century.