Early Life, Family and Training Michael Köck was born on 29 August 1760 in Innsbruck. He grew up in a large household, one of twelve children born to the joiner Franz Köck and his wife, Ursula. The steady, practical environment of a joiner's home provided the backdrop for his early years in the Austrian Empire. His first steps into drawing began under the guidance of Johann Peter Denifle, a drawing teacher in Innsbruck. These early lessons formed the foundation of his technical skill. By 1777, his path led him away from his home toward Milan. He spent several years there in the studio of th…