Johann Georg von Dillis was the first-born child of a forester's family and took early education in theology and philosophy with studies about customs for talented children from rural social strata. But soon he felt a desire to devote himself to painting.

Until the early 19th Century, he was mostly busy giving painting lessons in German noble houses, but later it was possible for him, thanks to recommendations, to take young German and English aristocrats on trips to the Mediterranean. These trips much benefited his own development as a painter.

With the Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig I, Dillis undertook several trips to Italy, especially to Rome and Sicily. On these trips, Dillis made numerous watercolor sketches as stud...