Claus Heimen

Claus Heimen , also Niclaß Heimen , Nicolaus Heimen or Claus Heim , (* after 1606 probably in Lunden ; † around 1663 ) was a German sculptor.

Life

Claus Heimen was the son of a father of the same name, who died before 1613, and his wife Elsabe, who died before 1624. He came from the Russebullinger family, who played an important role in the damming of the Eider in the 14th and 15th centuries . A well-known member of the Dithmarsch family was the politician Claus Heim .

Heimen was married to a woman named Wiebke, who is mentioned repeatedly in the Lunden church book, for example in the baptismal register and a chair book from 1646. The couple had four sons and a daughter, about whom no further details are known.

Works

As a sculptor, Heimen created works in the cartilage style , which originated in northern Germany in the 17th century. In doing so, he achieved a quality that is comparable to other important artists. It is not documented where he acquired his knowledge. The first known and preserved work is an epitaph for Mayor Craißbach from Hemme . He created a second epitaph in 1637 for Mayor Claus Harder. It can be seen today in the Rendsburg Marienkirche .

In 1641 Heimen portrayed himself in a field in the pulpit of St. Mary's Church in Hattstedt . During this time he also created an altarpiece for the Sankt-Annen-Kirche in the parish of the same name . The delicate work was erected in 1642. In the same year he made an epitaph for the church builder for his late wife.

In 1645 Heimen created an epitaph for Hofrat Peter Jügert, which was set up in Schleswig Cathedral . It was through this work that the Gottorf dukes probably became aware of him. Heimen moved his residence to Schleswig around 1645 and then worked for the Gottorfer Hof and high-ranking people. For Friedrich III. Between 1650 and 1655 he made four grand cradles that the princesses of the court received on the occasion of their weddings. One of the work pieces is now in Stockholm and is used at the royal family's christening celebrations.

The books of the pension chamber of the Gottorfer Hof show that Heimen repeatedly carried out smaller orders. These included carved deer heads, which he decorated with the antlers of hunted game. Some of its works have probably been preserved. One of the well-known sacred art objects is a crucifix for Junker Wilstorff from Husum from 1654, which is considered lost. In 1656 he made a crucifix for Barthold Goldberg, which was set up in the Friedrichsberg church. It is one of the few independent works of art of this kind from this century in Schleswig-Holstein that are not connected to an altarpiece or an epitaph.

Heimen's last documented work is an epitaph for Johann Henniges from 1663 in the Rendsburg Marienkirche.

literature

• Erich Kuhlmann: Heimen, Claus . in: Schleswig-Holstein Biographical Lexicon . Volume 2. Karl Wachholtz Verlag, Neumünster 1971, pp. 173-174