Γεννήθηκε στο Gross το 5.10.1834 και πέθανε στο Βερολίνο 20.2.1908. Μαθητής της Ακαδημίας του Βερολίνου και της Δρέσδης, συνεχίζει τις σπουδές του το 1863 με τον Pauwels στη Weimar. Το 1866 γίνεται καθηγητής στη Σχολή Καλών Τεχνών της ίδιας πόλης. Το 1879 του απονένεται το μετάλλιο του Βερολίνου και το 1880 γίνεται μέλος της Ακαδημίας της Γερμανικής πρωτεύουσας. Ζωγράφος ιστορικών σκηνών προσωπογραφιών και εικονογράφος σε βιβλία. Έργα του βρίσκονται σε πολλές ιδιωτικές συλλογές και μοθσεία της Ευρώπης.

(Benezit, τόμος x σελ. 171)

Friedrich Paul Thumann, who was born at Tschaksdorf, in the Lausitz, in 1834, was originally intended for a scientific career, and studied with that purpose at the engineering school at Glogau. At the age of nineteen, however, he entered the Berlin Academy as an art student. In 1856 he settled in Dresden, where, until 1860, he remained as a pupil of Julius Hubner. He had now become known as a painter, both of portraits and religious compositions, which found favor. In 1860 he removed to Leipzig, the great German publishing centre, where as a draughtsman and illustrator for books and periodicals he acquired both a wide reputation and a great deal of money. This enabled him in 1863 to resume his study of painting, which he did under Professor Pauwels at Weimar. After travelling in Italy, France and England, he in 1866 became a professor at the Weimar Academy, which he exchanged six years later for the Academy at Dresden, and in 1875 for a similar post in Berlin, where he still remains. "The Sirens" is an extremely characteristic work from his brush, and gives a new view of a subject which has already been treated in "Modern Figure Painting" by different artists.

[NY Times January 28, 1975]