Franz Xavier Karl Palko (1724–1767)

• Was a Silesian painter.
• He is known primarily for religious scenes.
• He was the son of a painter named Anton Palko (died 1754).
• He began his studies at home, then went to Vienna, where he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts.
• In the 1740s, he was enrolled at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia and came under the influence of Giuseppe Crespi.
• After returning, he worked in Bratislava, Kroměříž and Brno; finally settling in Dresden.
• In 1752, he was appointed a court painter for the Electorate of Saxony, but moved on to Prague before a year was over.
• He never became a citizen of Prague, but stayed there for many years.
• Most of his works appear to have been frescoes or altarpieces.
• At some point, he was married, as there are baptismal records for a son, Jan Xaver, dating from 1756.
• He apparently died in Prague in 1767, although other sources indicate that he moved to Munich.
• His brother, Franz Anton Palko was also a well-known painter.
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