Born in Prague’s Lesser Quarter, František Tkadlík was one of a handful of Czech painters respected outside of their homeland. After finishing his studies at the Prague Academy of Fine Arts he moved to Vienna in 1816 and then journeyed on to Rome, where he became associated with the Nazarene movement. After eight years in Italy, he returned to Vienna in 1832 and, four years later, moved back to Prague, where he was appointed third director of the Prague Academy of Fine Arts. In Prague, he achieved some success with respect to academic education reform – and was thus fondly remembered by his students. His qualities as a teacher were later perceived as being in sharp contrast with those of his successors.