Charles de Graimberg

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Charles de Graimberg, portrayed by Guido Philipp Schmitt
The Heidelberg Castle , 1830
Mosque in the Schwetzingen Palace Gardens, 1828
Family grave, honor grave . Here in the Heidelberg mountain cemetery Count Charles de Graimberg, Maria Countess Graimberg-Bellau and other family members rest in the complex: (Dept. C 50, 51, and 52)

Louis Charles François de Graimberg by choice (born July 30, 1774 at Paars Castle near Château-Thierry , France; † November 10, 1864 in Heidelberg ; also Carl or Karl von Graimberg ), painter and draftsman; worked as an artist, collector (museum founder) and monument preservationist for the preservation and appreciation of the Heidelberg castle ruins.

Life

As the son of a wealthy French count, Charles de Graimberg, born in 1774, spent an idyllic, peaceful childhood with parents and siblings at the family's ancestral home, the Belleau estate on the Marne . In retrospect, he once described this time as the happiest of his life.

He discovered his tendency to draw during his school days in the École royale militaire in Rebais (80 km east of Paris) , run by Benedictines . The school's drawing teacher soon noticed his talent and encouraged him to do so. In accordance with current teaching practice, Graimberg dealt intensively with works by old masters during this time and trained his drawing technique by copying templates, among other things. As the revolution progressed and the Graimberg family emigrated in 1791, his happy and sheltered childhood and youth came to an end.

Together with his father and brothers he took part in the First Coalition War in the following years ; after retiring from active military service, he settled on the Channel Island of Guernsey . After the abrupt interruption of his school education, he began to self-taught. He devoted himself particularly intensively to the art of drawing. Bit by bit, drawing with pencil, charcoal and pastel chalk, he opened up the scenic charms of the island. Stylistically, his drawings at this time were clearly influenced by Dutch landscape painting of the 17th century. In order to make a living, he sold his landscape drawings and small portrait miniatures and worked as a tutor and drawing teacher.

Finally, he complied with his father's request to return to France. Graimberg spent the first time after his return to his old home in Château-Thierry with his father. Here, too, he tirelessly expanded his sketch collection. He captured the homeland of his childhood in numerous drawings. Probably in the endeavor to train himself in different approaches, and in the search for his own "drawing style" that corresponds to him, he approached his motifs in detailed, small-scale pencil drawings as well as in sometimes only vaguely fleeting, delicately washed brush drawings. In his pictorial inventions, too, the bandwidth ranges from architectural drawings to spacious landscaped spaces.

The ruins of the old fortress of Château-Thierry on Graimberg exerted a particular fascination . In the Romantic era, the image of the ruin in the landscape, the interplay of ruinous masonry and overgrown nature, former strength and progressive decay was idealized. Among other things, he drew a series of 15 views of the fortress ruins.

Charles de Graimberg, who by then, apart from his first artistic lessons in school, had been self-taught, moved to Paris in 1807 to be trained in the studio of the painter Jean-Victor Bertin . Here, too, he devoted himself particularly intensively to landscape drawing. It was also during this time that he began painting in oils.

His interest in printmaking and the idea of ​​doing an apprenticeship with a copperplate engraver in order to be able to engrave his own drawings led him to Germany in 1810. His brother Louis put him in contact with his friend and neighbor in Karlsruhe, the Baden court engraver Christian Haldenwang (1770–1831).

With the intention of making sketches for a landscape painting that he wanted to do in oil with Bertin on his return to Paris, Graimberg soon afterwards decided to travel to Heidelberg and draw the Neckar valley with the romantic ruins. His enthusiasm for Heidelberg Castle then kept him in Germany longer than planned.

In order to be able to devote himself exclusively to the castle ruins, which he considered to be the most beautiful European ruin as a total work of art, he settled in Heidelberg and rented a room in the castle - in the gate tower of the Glass Hall. With his zeal for work, his hard work and his enthusiasm, he earned sympathy and respect from many. Helmina von Chézy (1783–1856), who remained friendly to Graimberg throughout her life, describes her first meeting with him in her memoirs:

“On the day after my arrival, while walking around with my children, I noticed a large, ancient building that adorned the city like a crown. [...] In the courtyard of the castle we noticed a young man on a scaffolding. [...] He was a French emigrant [...] Heidelberg's charms had captivated him here; he did not want to leave here without having recreated it in pictures. Through this endeavor he forgot the horrors of the revolution, the mourning for the royal tribe and the conditions of his homeland. Heidelberg became his home, lover, temple of prayer, paradise. He couldn't bear the fullness of his beauty without flowing it out again. "

This formulation probably reflects Graimberg's mood, his attitude towards life and the deep enthusiasm with which he committed himself to new goals and content after the serious upheavals in his home country France and the associated complete change in his living conditions, in the center of which he put the Heidelberg castle ruins. He made it his task to depict and preserve them as well as to build up the most comprehensive collection possible on the history of the castle and its residents in order to erect a comprehensive monument to the Heidelberg castle ruins.

He was actively supported by his family; his projects often put him in financial distress. His French inheritance and his wife's dowry flowed into his "copper engraving company", the Electoral Palatinate-Baden collection and various measures to protect the ruins, while he himself lived comparatively modestly with his wife and children.

Charles de Graimberg died on November 10, 1864 at the age of 90 in Heidelberg in his house on Kornmarkt . His tomb, or the resting place of the count's family in the Heidelberg Bergfriedhof, consists of red sandstone, relief-decorated inscription stones bearing white marble crosses. Inscription stones lie in front of the tombs. The middle tomb, adorned with the reliefs of a count's crown and two family coats of arms, denotes the final resting place of Count Charles de Graimberg, who was the first of the count's family to be buried in the site. The grave complex is located in sections C 50, 51 and 52 of the Bergfriedhof.

In the Graimberg Palace, which he bought and lived in , Maria von Graimberg (1879–1965; the last of her line) later founded the first German Catholic social women's school (moved to Freiburg im Breisgau in 1977 ).

The city of Heidelberg purchases the collection

As early as 1842 Charles de Graimberg expressed the wish that "[...] the Heidelberg Alterthümerhalle [...] will settle under the wings of a high level of protection." It was his fervent wish that his collection, which he had in terms of history, art and The rarity of the museum pieces was thought to be three times important, was preserved undivided. That is why he has tried to find a buyer for his collection since then. With a view to the collection concept, he would have loved to have given them to the state or the city of Heidelberg. As early as 1844, Charles de Graimberg committed his heirs to the preservation of the collection in a draft will drawn up in 1844 and emphasized again in 1862: “[…] la Galerie de Heidelberg ne pourroit être vendue séparèment. Elle perdoit par là toute sa valeur. ”Philibert von Graimberg (1832–1895) tried to sell the collection according to his father's wishes. Ultimately, the acquisition of the collection by the city of Heidelberg is primarily thanks to the strong personal commitment of the Heidelberg lawyer Albert Mays (1818–1893). In the context of the sales negotiations, Wilhelm Trübner (1851–1917) was commissioned to examine the collection. In his expertise for the city of Heidelberg, dated January 2, 1878, he describes the collection as valuable in terms of art history; their acquisition by the city is desirable. Finally, on December 31, 1878, a preliminary purchase agreement was concluded between Albert Mays as the representative of the township and Philibert von Graimberg, who also represented his siblings in this transaction (final contract and transfer of the collection to the town on July 14, 1879). The collection continued to be shown in the exhibition rooms that Graimberg had expanded until the Friedrichsbau was restored. Then it was temporarily presented in the Ottheinrichsbau. After the city bought Palais Morass , the municipal collections were finally permanently housed in Heidelberg's old town. The museum has been renamed the “ Kurpfälzisches Museum der Stadt Heidelberg ” since 1921 . In the museum's permanent exhibition, numerous exhibits are presented, the origin of which can be determined directly from Graimberg's “Alterthümerhalle”. One of Graimberg's late acquisitions is particularly well-known, the so-called “Windsheimer Twelve Messenger Altar ” by Tilman Riemenschneider , which he bought in 1861 for his collection.

Works

  • The Heidelberg barrel . Mannheim 1816.
  • Notice de l'entreprise des vues de Heidelberg . Heidelberg 1820.
  • News from the Antiquities Hall of Heidelberg Castle . 1842
  • Le guide des voyageurs dans la ruine de Heidelberg D'après un du château . 1856
  • Collection des Vues de Heidelberg. Dessinées d'apres nature by Charles de Graimberg. o. O. o. J. [Heidelberg 1817/18 at the earliest].
  • (Ed.): Views of the ruins of Heidelberg Castle, the city and the areas, in stone printing = Vues lythographiées de la ruine, de la ville et des environs de Heidelberg. o. O. o. J. [Heidelberg 1820 at the earliest].
  • Notice de l'entreprise des vues de Heidelberg. Heidelberg 1820.
  • Delivery of the views of Heidelberg. Drawn from nature by Karl von Graimberg, the perspective part of Thomas Alfred Leger, professor of architecture at the University of Heidelberg; and worked in copper by the court copper engraver Haldenwang = Livraison des vues de Heidelberg. Dessinées d'apres nature par Charles de Graimberg, mises en perspective par Thomas Alfred Leger, professeur d'architecture à l'université de Heidelberg, et gravées par Charles Haldenwang, engraver de la Cour de Bade. Heidelberg (and others) n.d. [earliest 1821 / betw. 1821 u. 1825].
  • (Ed.): Collection of views of Heidelberg, Neckarthale, Schwetzingen, Baden, and the Rhine. = Collection des Vues de Heidelberg, de la vallé du Neckar, de Schwetzingen, de Bade et du Rhin. o. no. no. [1825].
  • Collection of views of the castle and the city of Heidelberg in Tuschmanier = Collection de vues à l'aquatinte de la ville et du château de Heidelberg. o. O. o. J. [Heidelberg 1825 at the earliest].
  • Views of the Schwetzingen garden . o. O. 1828.
  • Histoire du gros tonneau de Heidelberg. Mannheim 1828.
  • Views of Heidelberg, Schwetzingen, Baden and the Rhine. 2 Bde. O. O. 2o.J. [1828/29 at the earliest].
  • Antiquities of Heidelberg Castle, drawn from nature by Karl von Graimberg, designed in perspective by Thomas Alfried Leger, engraved by Texier. Available from Herr von Graimberg zu Heidelberg = Antiquités de Château de Heidelberg, dessinées d'après nature par Charles de Graimberg, mises en perspective par Thomas Alfried Leger, gravées par Texier. Heidelberg undated [1830 at the earliest].
  • (Ed.): Collection of views of Heidelberg and the Rhine in aquatint = Collection de vues à l'aquatinte de Heidelberg et du Rhin. o. o. o. J. [Heidelberg about 1830]
  • Views of Heidelberg Castle, Wolfsbrunnen, Neuburg Abbey, Dilsberg and Neckarsteinach. Design by Charles de Graimberg. o. o. o. J. [around 1830].
  • (Ed.): The great views of Heidelberg Castle and its surroundings drawn and edited by Karl von Graimberg = Les grandes Planches du chateau de Heidelberg dessinées et publiées par Charles de Graimberg. o. O. o. J. [Heidelberg 1830/31 at the earliest].
  • (Ed.): The statues of the eighteen heads of the Electoral Palatinate-Baier Princely House on the Heidelberg Castle. 3 He or anthology. Heidelberg undated [around 1831].
  • Annonce de la troisième exposition des collections d'antiquités palatines et badoises appartenant à Monsr. le Comte Chs. de Graimberg. no information no date [1831 or 1840].
  • The guide de voyageurs in the ruins of Heidelberg. Heidelberg 21836 (11827).
  • (Ed.): Views of the city, the castle and the surroundings of Heidelberg = Vues de la Ville, du Château et des Environs de Heidelberg. o. O. o. J. [Heidelberg 1837/39 at the earliest].
  • News from the Antiquities Hall of Heidelberg Castle = Notice de la Galerie des Antiquités du Château de Heidelberg. o. O. 1842.
  • The copper engravings of Heidelberg and the antiquities hall of Heidelberg Castle = Les gravures de Heidelberg et la Galerie des Antiquités du Château de Heidelberg. Heidelberg 1847.
  • (Ed.): Guide dans les Ruines du Chateau de Heidelberg, orné d'un plan et de vues gravées. Extrait du guide des voyageurs du professeur Dr. Th. Alfr. Casual. Heidelberg undated

Literature and Sources

  • “A Frenchman in Heidelberg” 125 years of acquisition of the Graimberg collection by the city of Heidelberg. City and castle in the view of Count Graimberg. Catalog Anja-Maria Roth. Palatinate Museum Heidelberg. April 30 - June 27, 2004.
  • Anja-Maria Roth: Louis Charles François de Graimberg (1774–1864): monument conservator, collector, artist. Heidelberg 1999, ISBN 3-924973-50-4
  • Alfred Starck: Count Charles de Graimberg: his life and work in Heidelberg. Heidelberg 1898
  • Fritz Quoos: HD owes a lot to the Graimbergs. In Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung , Heidelberg, 2007: 111: 5 (Heidelberger Nachrichten) from May 15, 2007. (About the municipal graves of honor in the Bergfriedhof )
  • Manfred Berger :  Graimberg-Bellau, Maria Antoinette Josephine Theresia Franziska Countess von. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 21, Bautz, Nordhausen 2003, ISBN 3-88309-110-3 , Sp. 517-526.  ( Article / beginning of article in Internet archive )
  • Helmina von Chézy: Paintings from Heidelberg, Mannheim, Schwetzingen, the Odenwalde and the Neckarthale. Guide for travelers and friends of this area. Heidelberg 2o.J. [expanded edition of the 2nd edition from 1821, which appeared around 1822].
  • Helmina von Chézy: the unforgotten. Memories from the life of Helmina von Chézy. Told by herself. Vol. 2. Leipzig 1858.
  • Thomas A. Leger: Explanatory directory of the monuments in the Graimberg antiquities collection of the Heidelberg Castle. Edited by Karl v. Graimberg. Vol. 1 and 2 supplements. Heidelberg 1838, 1839, 1843.
  • Georg Poensgen:  Graimberg, Carl Graf von. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 6, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1964, ISBN 3-428-00187-7 , p. 736 ( digitized version ).

Web links

Commons : Charles de Graimberg  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Leena Ruuskanen: The Heidelberg Bergfriedhof through the ages . Ubstadt-Weiher 2008, ISBN 978-3-89735-518-7 , p. 100.
  2. ↑ Bergfriedhof Heidelberg, location of the Graimberg grave complex
personal data
SURNAME Graimberg, Charles de
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Graimberg, Louis Charles François de (full name); Graimberg, Karl; Graimberg, Carl
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French engraver, landscape painter and preservationist
DATE OF BIRTH July 30, 1774
PLACE OF BIRTH Paars Castle near Château-Thierry
DATE OF DEATH November 10, 1864
Place of death Heidelberg