Emanuel Listnau
born ok. 1740, died ok. 1780
Tailor and calligrapher by trade and an amateur draughtsman, active in Berlin, Królewiec and Gdańsk (Danzig). He was known for his depictions in the quod libet style, popular in the 17th century, and calligraphic illustrations, which most often took the form of portraits of well-known individuals composed of miniature lettering that also relayed a message through its textual content. He also decorated manuscripts in this style. Among the works by Listnau that are around today, there is a portrait of Frederick the Great on horseback (in the Print Room collection of the University of Warsaw Library) and a bust of King Stanisław II Augustus Poniatowski (in a private collection).
