Hans Walther (sculptor, 1526)

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Hans Walther (* 1526 in Meißen ; † September 10, 1586 in Dresden ) was a German sculptor of the Renaissance and from 1571 mayor of Dresden. He comes from a family of artists who worked primarily in the Electorate of Saxony for four generations . To distinguish himself from his grandfather, the sculptor of the same name who worked in Breslau, he is also referred to as Hans Walther II or Hans Walther II .

Life

Moritz monument (copy) in Dresden

Hans Walther came to Dresden around 1530 as a child with his father Christoph Walther I , who had been making early Renaissance sculptures in Annaberg and reliefs at Albrechtsburg Castle in Meißen since 1517 and was born in Dresden two years after his death on March 2, 1548 Citizens sworn in. There he went into politics and was a councilor from 1561. In this function he took over the management of the salt office and the building office. This meant that he was responsible for overseeing the entire urban construction project. In 1571 he became one of the three mayors of the city and held this office every three years until his death. Thanks to his experience in construction, between 1579 and 1583 he led the reconstruction of the Kreuzkirche tower . In the immediate vicinity he owned his stately home on the Altmarkt . He also owned several properties in the Dresden area.

As a councilor, Walther continued to work as a sculptor , just like his father and his cousin Christoph Walther II (1534–1584) at the same time . After taking over his father's workshop in 1546, he first made epitaphs .

Presumably in the spring of 1549, he received the major order to work on the building sculpture of the reconstruction of the Dresden residential palace , which had just been expanded according to a new concept, until 1555. The works of him and his workshop include the reliefs on the southwest stair tower, on the loggia in front of the Hausmannsturm (today copies) and on the portal of the castle church (1555). His workshop probably also supplied the numerous large statues on the gables of the castle.

His other creations include the Moritz monument and items of furniture for the Kreuzkirche. In 1574 he was one of the founding members of the guild of painters and sculptors. Hans Walther died in Dresden in 1586 and was buried in the Frauenkirchhof .

family

Hans Walther's son was the court organist Christoph Walter (1550–1592), who was in the service of Elector August ; To avoid confusion with his uncle, he wrote his last name “only with t without h”.

The sons of Hans' cousin Christoph (II) were also sculptors in Dresden: Andreas Walther (III) (~ 1555–1596), Christoph Walther IV (1572–1619), Michael Walther (1574–1624) and Sebastian Walther (1576– 1645).

Works

Last Supper scene on the altar created for the Kreuzkirche (St. Johannis Church in Bad Schandau)
Altar and pulpit in the Bad Schandau St. Johannis Church, the former by Hans Walther originally for the Dresden Kreuzkirche

Hans Walther was a formative artist for the architectural sculpture and relief art of the Dresden Renaissance. His figures are expressively individualized, balanced and harmonious in movement and based on ancient counter-post ; the rediscovered antique style elements can also be found in the folds of the robes and the facial features with characteristic hairstyles and beards, frontal or in profile.

In addition to his sculptural work, some preserved tombstones from his hand, u. a. in Meissen , Siebeneichen and in the cloister of Freiberg Cathedral , his artistic skills. In the second half of the 1550s, Walther also worked as a modeller at the Königstein iron foundry (Saxon Switzerland) and created a number of wooden plate models for art casting. Two works that can be verified by him have been found as casts in the Museum of Saxon Folk Art in Dresden and in the historical restaurant Vincenz Richter in Meißen.

Works (in selection):

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Central Office for German Personal and Family History (Ed.): Genealogical Yearbook , Verlag Degener, 1961, p. 71 ff.
  2. ^ Walter Hentschel: Kursächsischer Eisenkunstguß , Verlag Wolfgang Jess, Dresden, 1955.

Web links

Commons : Hans Walther II  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files
predecessor Office successor
 Marcus Fuchs (1570, 1573)
Hans Hase (1576, 1579, 1582, 1585)		 Mayor of Dresden
1571, 1574, 1577, 1580, 1583, 1586 		 Hans Khun (1572, 1575, 1578, 1581, 1584, 1587)
personal data
SURNAME Walther, Hans
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Walther, Hans II; Walther, Hans II.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German sculptor of the Renaissance
DATE OF BIRTH 1526
PLACE OF BIRTH Meissen
DATE OF DEATH September 10, 1586
Place of death Dresden