Matthias Grilhofer was born in Stadl near Murau, Austria about 1800 and died in Vienna ca. 1860. He exhibited in Vienna from 1838 to 1841. Grilhofer may have also studied in Germany. He painted miniatures and portraits in oils. Between the years 1830 and 1860, he was active as a watercolor portrait painter and miniaturist in Graz and Vienna. Especialy known were his portraits of the Austrian artists and writers (among them a portrait of the poet Franz Grillparzer).