Ernst Pfuhl

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Ernst Pfuhl (born November 17, 1876 in Charlottenburg , † August 7, 1940 in Basel ) was a German classical archaeologist .

Life and accomplishments

Ernst Pfuhl's parents, the sculptor Johannes Pfuhl (1846–1914) and his wife Clara, née Meyer, came from Silesia and had moved to Berlin. Mother Clara Pfuhl came from a Silesian family of scholars. After attending the Joachimsthal School in Berlin and moving to the Fridericianum Davos for health reasons , Ernst Pfuhl began studying at Berlin University in 1896 . After only four years, he finished his studies with a doctorate. The subject of his dissertation was De Atheniensium pompis sacris . Reinhard Kekulé von Stradonitz , August Kalkmann , Ulrich von Wilamowitz-Moellendorff and Hermann Diels were among his teachers . Four years of travel followed the course. From 1901 to 1903 he was holder of the travel grant of the German Archaeological Institute for two consecutive periods . In Rome he made a deep friendship with Richard Delbrueck , both of whom were engaged in Hellenistic art at this time. This gave rise to the two-volume work East Greek Grave Reliefs , which, however, was not published by Hans Möbius until 1977 and 1979 . He also had a close friendship with Paul Jacobsthal . Initially, Pfuhl was primarily concerned with sculpture, while practical archeology was added during his scholarship years. Friedrich Hiller von Gärtringen , the excavator from Thera , entrusted Pfuhl with the excavation of the necropolis there . It was only the second major scientific excavation of an archaic necropolis after the Samos excavation by Johannes Boehlau . The results provided important answers in questions of chronology , the distinction between the various types of ceramics and the history of trade.

In Athens he married his Greek wife Sophia, the daughter of the archaeologist Athanasios Rhusopulos . Greek became his second mother tongue. After returning to Germany, Pfuhl completed his habilitation at the University of Göttingen , which at that time was one of the German centers of ancient studies . His colleagues included Friedrich Leo , Eduard Schwartz , Karl Dilthey and Jakob Wackernagel . His lectures dealt with the cult of the dead in ancient religions and Greek vase painting . Probably at the instigation of Wackernagel from Basel, he was appointed to the University of Basel in 1909 .

Pfuhl's turn to the art of Hellenism was evident in the inaugural address on the roots of Hellenistic art. In 1912 he founded the Archaeological Seminar in Basel, the library of which, under his direction, became the best-equipped of its kind in Switzerland. In 1923 he published his main work, Painting and Drawing of the Greeks, in three volumes. In the following year, in the short version of Masterworks of Greek Drawing and Painting , Pfuhl changed the focus from the construction of history to the consideration of the individual work. John D. Beazley translated the book into English in 1926. Another large work on Greek sculpture got stuck in the preparatory work. In questions of dating and localization, Pfuhl broke new ground with the use of previously neglected monuments, as well as in the assessment of ancient sculptures. Pfuhl was one of the first to clarify that ancient sculptures should not be compared with modern portraits and that modern terms should be replaced by other appropriate terms in order to make ancient art comprehensible and conceptual. Pfuhl's students included Peter P. Kahane , Valentin Müller , Hans Jucker and Herbert A. Cahn . For many refugees from Germany, Pfuhl and his seminar were the point of departure and escape. In 1940 Pfuhl went on vacation to Ascona for four weeks to cure his longstanding heart condition. On the return journey to Basel he died of a heart attack on August 7, 1940. After Pfuhl's death, Karl Schefold took over the chair in Basel, initially provisionally and later as full professor. Pfuhl's collection of antique art was auctioned off in 1941. His estate is in the Basel University Library .

Ernst Pfuhl was a member of the German Archaeological Institute (from 1905), the Archaeological Society of Berlin (from 1927) and an honorary member of the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies (from 1928). Pfuhl's writings were collected in the Antikenmuseum Basel . For Peter von der Mühll , Pfuhl was the most learned archaeologist of his time. He was praised for his judgment as well as for his overview presentations.

Fonts (selection)

  • Painting and drawing of the Greeks. Bruckmann, Munich 1923.
  • Masterpieces of Greek drawing and painting. Bruckmann, Munich 1924.
  • The beginnings of Greek portrait art. A contribution to the history of individuality. Bruckmann, Munich 1927.
  • Eastern Greek travel. Asia Minor, Cyprus and Syria. Schwabe, Basel 1941.
  • The East Greek grave reliefs. von Zabern, Mainz 1977/79, ISBN 3-8053-0268-1 (edited by Hans Möbius ).

literature

Web links

Wikisource: Ernst Pfuhl  - Sources and full texts
personal data
SURNAME Pfuhl, Ernst
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German classical archaeologist
DATE OF BIRTH November 17, 1876
PLACE OF BIRTH Charlottenburg
DATE OF DEATH August 7, 1940
Place of death Basel