Max von Widnmann

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Max Ritter von Widnmann, drawn by Wilhelm Marstrand , Rome 1838
Max von Widnmann
Birthplace of Max von Widnmann in Eichstätt, Luitpoldstrasse
Equestrian monument Ludwig I, 1862, Odeonsplatz Munich
Dalberg Monument, 1866, Mannheim
Widnmann signature on the Dalberg statue in Mannheim

Max Carl Widnmann , from 1887 Ritter von Widnmann , (born October 16, 1812 in Eichstätt , † March 3, 1895 in Munich ), was a German sculptor .

Life

Max Widnmann was the son of the court, town and country doctor Franz Widnmann and his wife Maximiliana born. Pöckhel, widow of the prince-bishop city and community doctor Franz Seraph Ulrich. The youngest of three brothers attended the Eichstätter grammar school and was already busy drawing and painting. In 1825 he went to the Royal Academy in Munich, where he was a student of the sculptor Ludwig Schwanthaler . Thanks to the support of his teachers, Widnmann was able to stay in Rome between 1836 and 1839, where he was friends with the then famous Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen . He was also on friendly terms with the Cologne architect Sulpiz Boisserée , whose collection of paintings was acquired by King Ludwig I for the Alte Pinakothek in 1827 .

After his return, Widnmann settled as a freelance artist in Munich and soon enjoyed the favor of King Ludwig I, who commissioned him, among other things, to create portrait busts for the Walhalla . Several of his statues were cast in bronze by Ferdinand von Miller .

In 1848 Widnmann was unanimously proposed as Schwanthaler's successor by the academic staff and appointed by King Ludwig I as a professor at the art academy. With increasing popularity, he also received numerous orders from outside Bavaria. In 1887, Prince Regent Luitpold of Bavaria appointed him a knight of the Bavarian crown and thus elevated him to the personal nobility. At the age of 75, Widnmann retired, which he spent at Lake Starnberg and in Munich. He was a member of the Munich Association for Christian Art .

In the heavy air raids on Munich from 1942 to 1945, some of his works were destroyed.

tomb

Grave of Max Widnmann in the old southern cemetery in Munich location

The tomb of Max Widnmann is on the old southern cemetery in Munich (burial ground 17 - Series 1 - Place 39/40) Location .

Appreciation

Widnmann was a well-known sculptor of the 19th century. In terms of creative imagination and ingenuity, he was inferior to his teacher Schwanthaler, but his statues and busts radiated a certain dignity in the eyes of his contemporaries, which is particularly important for monuments and which is why he has repeatedly received commissions.

Works (selection)

literature

Web links

Commons : Max von Widnmann  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Association for Christian Art in Munich (ed.): Festgabe in memory of the 50th year. Anniversary. Lentner'sche Hofbuchhandlung, Munich 1910, p. 125.
personal data
SURNAME Widnmann, Max von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Widnmann, Maximilian Carl (maiden name); Widnmann, Maximilian Carl Ritter von (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German sculptor
DATE OF BIRTH October 16, 1812
PLACE OF BIRTH Eichstatt
DATE OF DEATH March 3, 1895
Place of death Munich