Adolf Senff began as a theologian in Leipzig before he worked as a tutor for the children and the pupil of the painter Gerhard von Kügelgen (1772- 1820). In Leipzig, he worked as a painter and portraitist in the years 1813-14. He turned to art and painting after the war against France, in which he participated as a volunteer.

Between 1816 and 1848 he lived in Rome, where he became friends with the famous sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770-1844). Senff returned to great copies after Raphael and floral still lifes; this style he could perfect such that he was given the nickname flowers Raphael by his contemporaries.