Baron Gottfried Schmiedel

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Court jester Gottfried Schmiedel, JJ KÄNDER, 1739, Meissen porcelain

Baron Gottfried Schmiedel (born probably as Johann Gottfried Graf ; around * 1700 ; † before July 14, 1756 in Dresden ) was a court jester ( court jester ) at the Saxon-Polish court in Dresden.

Baron Schmiedel achieved some fame in the Saxon Augustan era at the side of Joseph Fröhlich as the second court handler. This is evidenced by figurative representations, images and a life-size porcelain bust created by Johann Joachim Kändler in 1739 , which was commissioned by the Saxon Elector Friedrich August II and is one of Kändler's most important works.

Life

Origin and life

The few biographical details of Schmiedel's early life are mostly based on a ridiculous poem about him that appeared in Dresden in 1742. He was probably born in 1700 under the name Johann Gottfried Graf as the illegitimate child of an animal healer suspected of black magic . The first geographical reference point to Schmiedel's life is mentioned in the poem Silesia . A baron took him in when he was young and sent him to Wroclaw with his biological son to study . In the mentioned in the poem barons, by whose name he later than Baron Schmiedel became known, is a relative of the noble family Schmi (e) del from Schmiden whose origin can be found in the 16th century in Silesia and beyond to Bohemia leads . According to the poem Schmiedel lost his patron's favor when it became known that he devoted his time in Wroclaw more to non-academic student life than to actual studies. In the middle of the 1720s he settled in the royal seat of Dresden, where he initially worked as a servant to various nobles.

As a servant of a restoration in Friesengäßgen (today's Dresdener Friesengasse ), in which members of the Saxon royal court frequented, Count Aleksander Józef Sulkowski noticed that he could blow the trumpet with his lips without an instrument . This - a childhood friend of Prince Elector Friedrich August II. , Son of Augustus the Strong - took him into his service and introduced him to the Electoral Saxon court. Around 1727 he was assigned to the first court player, Joseph Fröhlich . From then on, both formed a couple that were also well-known nationwide, at least until 1747. In this court pocket player duo, Schmiedel mostly took on the melancholy role and the participation in magic tricks .

Schmiedel probably spent the last years of his life up to his death in 1756 in Bautzen on the Ortenburg castle there as deputy bed master and lock inspector . Since 1708, these posts have been filled full-time by former chamber employees of the Saxon-Polish court. In the year of his death, Schmiedel set up a foundation with a capital of 1,000 guilders , and selected young people from the Bohemian town of Brüx (now Most) were given educational grants of 40 guilders annually.

Two works by Schmiedel himself can be traced in verse form . The first is a wedding poem on the occasion of the marriage of Wilhelmina Hyppolita von Berlepsch to Friedrich August Graf von Hennicke, Electoral Saxon-Polish chamber director, secret chamber and mountain ridge and son of the influential Saxon administrative officer Johann Christian von Hennicke, in September 1746 . The second, more extensive publication from 1754 contains a lyrical account of the early history of Upper Lusatia and the Ortenburg.

Evidence at the Dresden court

In the Royal Polish and Electoral Saxon Court and State Calendars , he is mentioned for the first time in 1732 as Cammer-Courier Mr. Schmiedel , and in the following years he was mostly listed as court handler among the chamber servants after Joseph Fröhlich. Among other name variants he is 1735 and 1736 as Gottfried Tuchscheer, called the little Schmiedel , 1737–1740 as Gottfried Junge, Baron Schmiedel, Baron sans repos (sans repos = French for restless or without rest ), and in 1741 as Johann Gottfried Graf, otherwise the young Baron Schmiedel . In 1747 Schmiedel was listed here for the last time as a chamber servant. In the porcelain collection of the Dresden Zwinger , the aforementioned bust of KÄNDER is inscribed on the base with court jester Gottfried Schmiedel .

Busts of court jesters Fröhlich and Schmiedel in the virtual tour “Porcelain collection in the Dresden Zwinger” - Ernst Zimmermann Hall

The official appointment to the court was made by Elector Friedrich August II between 1733 and 1734. In 1733, after the death of August the Strong, he was preceded by a probably very short service as postmaster in Bad Langensalza or Bad Lauchstädt . This episode probably resulted in both his uniforms at the Dresden court and the design of the Kaendler bust in the postmaster's habit at the time.

During Schmiedel's lifetime, only two Dresden address books appeared . In 1738 he is not verifiable, in 1740 he is known as Gottfr. Schmiedel, Baron sans repos, Cammer-Courier listed; in addition, " Wilsche Gaße bei der Fr. Kolbin" (today Wilsdruffer Straße ) is given as the residential address .

Between 1748 and 1751 Schmiedel is not listed in the Royal Polish and Electoral Saxon Court and State Calendars . From 1752 he is listed as hunting commissarius , 1754 as adjunct (deputy) of the bed master of the Ortenburg, and from 1755 to 1756 registered there as the castle inspector .

Schmiedel as a motif in the fine arts

Original bust Landstallamt der Moritzburg, 1733
The court jesters Fröhlich and Schmiedel, JJ KÄNDER, 1741, Meissen porcelain (modified scenery of form number 290)

Schmiedel has been depicted several times in contemporary visual arts.

The large-format painting by the Polish court painter Johann Samuel Mock from Saxony with the title Campement in Czerniaków (also known as the pleasure camp in Czerniaków ) from 1732 shows court jesters Fröhlich and Schmiedel next to August the Strong.

In 1733, two sandstone busts were created by an unknown hand as roof decorations on a main gate of the former Landstallamt of Moritzburg Castle (today's Moritzburg State Stud ), representing the two court jesters Fröhlich and Schmiedel. The heavily weathered originals have been replaced by replicas at the state stud .

The life-size bust from 1739 (shape number 21) created by the Meißner ceramic modeller KÄNDER shows Schmiedel as a postmaster, surrounded by mice - his magic tricks often included these animals. Three further figural scenes, created between 1739 and 1741, were created by KÄNDER in Meissen porcelain . In addition to a group representation with lady-in-waiting , cavalier and harlequin (1739, without form number), there are two works that depict him together with Joseph Fröhlich: the now rare lady in a racing sled or sleigh ride (1741, form number 251; Schmiedel is dressed as a woman here which is courted by Fröhlich) as well as a scene that was later modified several times, in which Fröhlich Schmiedel originally presented a mousetrap (1741, form number 290).

Works

  • Bey was supposed to show the very best bird catch to the Hennick and Berlepschischen marriage on September 22nd, 1746. The Königl. Pohln. and Churfürstl. Saxon. Post-Commisarius Baron Schmiedel . Laitenberger, Naumburg 1746 ( digitized version of the SLUB Dresden , last accessed on August 7, 2018)
  • The royal Pohln. and Churfürstl. Saxon. Orttenburg Castle in Budissin, located in the margravate of Ober-Laußitz. Its origin, construction, and how both Marggrafthümer […] came to the […] House of Saxony, From various old news […] collected by Johann Gottfried Graff, de Schmiedel, Königl. Pohln. and Churfürstl. Saxon. appointed Ober-Jagd-Commissarium and Castle Inspector of Orttenburg Castle in Budissin . Meyer, Cottenberg 1754 ( digitized version of the SLUB Dresden, last accessed on August 7, 2018)

literature

  • Royal Polish and Electoral Saxon Court and State Calendar . Leipzig 1732–1756.
  • Since the first day of the month of April wants to notice the Baron Schmiedel's festival at the same time, the army of mice wants to sing his well-deserved praise to all things. Rattenhausen, on April 1st, Since the fools are sent wherever they want to . Dresden 1742. ( Digital version of the SLUB Dresden, last accessed on August 7, 2018)
  • Karl Friedrich Flögel : History of the court jester . Siegert, Liegnitz and Leipzig 1798, pp. 294–295. ( Digitized version of the Bavarian State Library , last accessed on August 7, 2018)
  • Dr. Schfr. (= probably Albert Schiffner ): A contribution to the history and biography of Saxon court jesters . [Part 2]. In: Paul Gottlob Hilscher (ed.): The collector for history and antiquity, for art and nature in the Elbthale. Volume 2. Grimmer, Dresden 1837, p. 482. ( Digitized by Google Books, last accessed on August 7, 2018)
  • Carl Willnau (= Carl Wilhelm Naumann): Court jester Merry. The delightful chronicle of his life. [Illustrated new edition of A Rogue Who Means Well. The court jester's cheerful, delightful novel of life . Bohn, Leipzig 1943]. Greifenverlag, Rudolstadt 1954.
  • Eva Czernis-Ryl: The Golden Years of Meissen Porcelain and Saxon jesters. The Schmiedel bust in Australia . In: Ceramic Friends of Switzerland = Bulletin des Amis Suisse de la Céramique (1989), No. 104, pp. 5–10. ( Digitized version of the ETH Zurich , last accessed on August 7, 2018)
  • Rainer Rückert : The court jester Joseph Fröhlich 1694–1757. Sleight of hand and joker at the court of Augustus the Strong. Edition Volker Huber, Offenbach 1998, ISBN 3-921785-72-3 .
  • Eberhard Schmiedel: A good-for-nothing at court. The colorful life of Johann Gottfried Graf, known as Baron von Schmiedel. 1700--1756 . 2nd edition, Neubrandenburg 2014. [CD-ROM] ( digitized version on the author's website, last accessed on August 7, 2018)

Archival sources

  • Main State Archive Dresden , inventory 10036, financial archive, Loc. 32866 Rep. LII Gen. No. 1325: The bedmaster service at Orttenburg Castle in Budissin re: Anno 1754 .
  • Main State Archive Dresden, inventory 10036, financial archive, (very high) special records (1542–1831), volume 1754, p. 68 of February 16, 1754.
  • Main State Archive Dresden, inventory 10047, Dresden District Court, number 2724: Acta Commissionis. Issued in 1756 [ description of Johann Gottfried Graf's estate].

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Since the first day of the month of April Des Baron Schmiedel's feast wants to notice us at the same time, the army of mice wants to sing his well-deserved praise to all things. Rattenhausen, on April 1st, Since the fools are sent wherever they want to . Dresden 1742.
  2. ↑ Schmidel . In: Johann Heinrich Zedler (Hrsg.): Large complete universal lexicon of all sciences and arts . Volume 35: Schle – Schwa . Zedler, Leipzig and Halle 1743, column 432 [reference from Schmiedel von Schmieden to Schmidel in column 440]. ( Digitized version of the Bavarian State Library, last accessed on August 7, 2018)
  3. ^ Schmiedel, Schmidel v. Schmiden . In: Johann Christian von Hellbach : Adels-Lexikon, or manual on the historical, genealogical and diplomatic, partly also heraldic news of the high and low nobility […] . Volume 2: L-Z . Voigt, Ilmenau 1826, p. 420. ( Digitized by Google Books, last accessed on August 7, 2018)
  4. ↑ George Pilk : bed master of Ortenburg . In: Heimatklänge . [Supplement to the Bautzener Tageblatt ], January 17, 1925.
  5. ^ Josef Anton von Riegger : Student foundations in Bohemia. Made known for the service of humanity . von Schönfeld, Vienna 1787, pp. 125–126. ( Digital version of the SLUB Dresden, last accessed on August 7, 2018)
  6. ↑ Gottlieb Schumann: European Genealogical Hand-Book. Gleditsch, Leipzig 1752, p. 180. ( Digitized by Google Books, last accessed on August 7, 2018)
  7. ↑ New genealogical-historical news of the most noble events that happen to the European courts . Volume 37. Heinsius, Leipzig 1753, pp. 643-644. ( Digitized by Google Books, last accessed on August 7, 2018)
  8. ↑ Gustav Klemm : The royal Saxon porcelain collection. An overview of their most exquisite treasures, together with evidence of the history of vessel making in clay and porcelain . Walther, Dresden 1834, pp. 106-107. ( Digitized by Google Books, last accessed on August 7, 2018)
  9. ↑ a b Eva Czernis-Ryl 1989, p. 6.
  10. ↑ Carl Willnau 1954 S. 71st
  11. ↑ Rainer Rückert 1998, p. 22.
  12. ↑ Das Nowleben Königliche Dreßden, introducing the Resp. Königl, who was in 1740 and who actually lived there. and Churfl. Court, government, military, house, church and private budget . 3rd edition, Robring, Dresden 1740, p. 120. ( Digital copy from SLUB Dresden, last accessed on August 7, 2018)
  13. ^ Mock, Johann Samuel . In: Hans Vollmer (Hrsg.): General lexicon of visual artists from antiquity to the present . Volume 24: Mandere – Möhl . EA Seemann, Leipzig 1930, p. 603.
  14. ↑ Schmiedel (court jester) . [Digitized version of the historical catalog card for the photo of Schmiedel's bust, data record: 70233111] . Deutsche Fotothek , SLUB Dresden. [last accessed on July 8, 2018]
  15. ↑ The sleigh ride (with the cat) . German Lost Art Center Foundation, Lost Art . [last accessed on May 29, 2018]
  16. ^ Helmuth Gröger: Johann Joachim Kaendler. The master of porcelain. For the 250th anniversary of his birth (= Dresden Contributions to Art History. Vol. 2). Jess, Dresden 1956, pp. 199-202.
personal data
SURNAME Schmiedel, Baron Gottfried
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Schmiedel, Johann Gottfried; Boy, Gottfried; Graf, Johann Gottfried (presumed maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Court player at the Saxon and Polish courts
DATE OF BIRTH 1700
PLACE OF BIRTH Silesia
DATE OF DEATH before July 14, 1756
Place of death Dresden , Electorate of Saxony