Joseph Hickel was a portrait painter from Bohemia. From 1756, he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. Commissioned by Empress Maria Theresa, he travelled to Italy in 1768 to paint portraits of members of the Habsburg family in Milan, Parma and Florence. In 1769, he became a member of the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence. In 1772, Hickel became deputy director of the Imperial Art Gallery, where his duties, among others, included the restoration of artworks. In 1776, he was appointed court painter and became a member of the Academy in Vienna. Hickel was one of the most sought-after portraitists of his time in Vienna. In addition to members of the court, he also painted noblemen and actors of the Burgtheater. It is estimated that Hickel painted about 3000 portraits, executed in the traditional Baroque style.