Gottfried Hilti

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gottfried Hilti (born April 9, 1903 in Schaan ; † May 12, 1977 in Vaduz ) was a Liechtenstein sculptor .

biography

Gottfried Hilti was born in 1903 as the third of eleven children of Schaan master butcher Joseph Hilti (1867-1935) and his wife Walburga (1875-1930, née Quaderer). His siblings include the entrepreneur Toni Hilti , the deputy MP Hans Hilti , and the founders of the drilling machine manufacturer « Hilti », Eugen Hilti and Martin Hilti .

He attended elementary school in Schaan and secondary school in Vaduz . Originally, like his older brother, he was supposed to complete an apprenticeship as a butcher and work in the family business. However, Hilti decided to become artistically active and so from November 1922 to December 1925 he completed an apprenticeship as a stonemason and sculptor with a sculptor in Feldkirch-Levis , Vorarlberg . He also attended the vocational training school in Feldkirch. After his apprenticeship, he went on a hike that took him to various European countries.

Hilti returned to Liechtenstein in 1930 and opened a sculpture studio in Schaan. In 1931 he received from Schaan council and the community leaders Ferdinand Risch commissioned a monument to the 1929 late Prince John II. To design. He had generously supported the construction of the parish church of St. Laurentius with financial means. On July 24, 1932, Bishop Laurenz Matthias Vincenz inaugurated the monument on the western front of the parish church. Among those present were representatives of the community and the country, Prince Franz I and his wife Princess Elsa . The monument to Johann II represents one of Hilti's most important works and made him known throughout Liechtenstein. His other works include statues of the Virgin Mary, the statues of the Stations of the Cross at the Dux Chapel in Schaan, as well as numerous church furnishings and graves. Due to the poor economic situation and in order to secure the livelihood of his family, Hilti expanded his sculpture workshop to include a stonemason.

From 1958 to 1962 he was a councilor in the government of the Principality of Liechtenstein from Alexander Frick for the Fatherland Union . He had previously been Deputy Government Councilor since 1953. He was also vice-president of the trade association and member of the monument protection commission. In 1970 he fell ill with dementia.

Hilti had been married to Gertrud Hilti, daughter of the Schaan master builder Lorenz Hilti, since 1936. The marriage resulted in six children, four sons and two daughters, with the eldest daughter dying at the age of four.

literature

  • Cornelia Herrmann: The Art Monuments of the Principality of Liechtenstein , Volume 2, Society for Swiss Art History, GSK 2007

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b e-archiv.li , platform supported by the Liechtenstein National Archives for the publication of sources on the history of Liechtenstein
  2. ^ Church history of the community of Schaan
personal data
SURNAME Hilti, Gottfried
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Liechtenstein sculptor
DATE OF BIRTH April 9, 1903
PLACE OF BIRTH Schaan
DATE OF DEATH May 12, 1977
Place of death Vaduz