Christian Henrich Heineken

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Christian Henrich Heineken, engraving by Johann Balthasar Probst (1673–1750) after the painting by Johann Harper
Christian Henrich Heineken, engraving by Christian Fritzsch (1726) with a poem by Telemann

Christian Henrich Heineken , also Christian Heinrich Heineken , Heinecken (* February 6, 1721 in Lübeck ; † June 27, 1725 there ) caused a sensation as a Lübeck child prodigy due to his extremely early intellectual maturity within his short life.

Life

By the age of ten months, Heineken was able to name all objects and explain pictures. Soon afterwards he was able to read and was distinguished by his tremendous memory skills - for example , he recited . B. large passages from the Bible by heart and showed broad geographical , historical and mathematical knowledge. Heineken had already mastered Latin and French at the age of two and wrote a history of Denmark at the age of three. The Danish King Frederick IV , who received him for an audience on September 9, 1724, described him as a "miraculum". Immanuel Kant called him an "early prodigy of ephemeral existence " and one of the "digressions of nature from its rule". Johann Harper painted his portrait in 1724, after which Johann Balthasar Probst did the copperplate. The composer Georg Philipp Telemann wrote several poems such as Kind, which was never like a day before! on his short life.

The fame of Heineken, which was specifically promoted by his parents, the Lübeck painter and architect Paul Heinecken and the flower painter, art dealer and alchemist Catharina Elisabeth Heinecken , as well as by his teacher Christian von Schöneich , meant that he appeared constantly and was temporarily on the move . The public honored these appearances with enthusiasm, but they were increasingly a burden for the family and especially the child.

Heineken died after several months of suffering, probably from celiac disease, which was unknown at the time . That he grew so old in the first place was thanks to his wet nurse Sophie Hildebrandt, who had breastfed him for years . The increasing diet of cereal products probably led to his death.

His older brother Carl Heinrich von Heineken was in the service of Count Brühl and was known as an art collector and art connoisseur.

Works

  • The Lübeck three-year-old boy Christian Henrich Heinekens Vorschmak of the old, mitlern and new Danish history, from which the most armed historians of the Kingdom of Dänemarck drew briefly, and learned from the same in his third year according to a predefined universal history. Koop, Lübeck 1724.
  • From the famous Lübeck baby, Christian Henrich Heineken, farewell speeches to His Royal Majesty of Dännemarck and Norway, Friedrich the Vierdten, when he gave him in Friedensburg on September 9th. 1724 gave the most gracious audiences . Lübeck 1724.

literature

  • Christian von Schöneich: Strange honorary memory of the praiseworthy life and death of the weyland wise and learned Lübeck child, Christian Henrich Heineken ... / ... from the truth-assiduous pen, his faithful teacher and promoter who was Weyland, designed impartially. In addition to a preface by Mr. Johann Henrich von Seelen . Kissner, Hamburg 1726
Digitized , SLUB Dresden
2nd edition: August Ludwig von Schlözer (ed.): Life, deeds, travel and death of a very clever and kind 4-year-old child Christian Henrich Heineken from Lübeck . Verlag der Wittwe Vandenhoeck , Göttingen 1779 Digitized

Web links

Commons : Christian Heinrich Heineken  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ ZEIT ONLINE GmbH, Hamburg, Germany: A child to be worshiped - ZEIT ONLINE . In: ZEIT ONLINE . December 22, 1999.
personal data
SURNAME Heineken, Christian Henrich
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Heineken, Christian Heinrich; Heinecken, Christian Henrich; Lübeck child prodigy
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Child who caused a sensation because of his intellectual precociousness
DATE OF BIRTH February 6, 1721
PLACE OF BIRTH Lübeck
DATE OF DEATH June 27, 1725
Place of death Lübeck