Hans von Gersdorff (scholar)

Hans von Gersdorff (born December 22, 1630 in Dresden (?), † April 19, 1692 in Bautzen ) was an Upper Lusatian nobleman and scholar. He sat on Weicha near Bautzen and left behind an important art collection.

biography

Hans von Gersdorff was chamberlain to the Saxon Elector , was well educated and showed a clear interest in astronomy . He is the builder of the Gersdorff'schen Palais in Bautzen in front of the castle with today's address Burgplatz 6. This early baroque building was built in 1680 and Gersdorff set up a library on the first floor that was specially secured against fire. In his relatively small library there were books on scientific discoveries of the 17th century and mathematical-optical phenomena that were currently being discussed at the time. He also put on a graphic collection with a more religious focus. This includes Albrecht Dürer's undated early work , but Dürer's graphic work is also well represented in the collection. The collection also contains works by Martin Schongauer , Georg Pencz and Lucas Cranach the Elder . The collection also includes map series and astronomical instruments. Overall, the Gersdorff collection is considered a very early special collection.

The city of Bautzen dedicated the exhibition “Foundation and Legacy - the collection of Hans von Gersdorff zu Weicha and the city of Bautzen around 1700” to him in 2002 (copper engravings, hand drawings, astronomical devices, globes and books). In 1681 he set up the Gersdorff Foundation Library, which is famous for its manuscripts (e.g. Bohemica , treatises by Jan Hus , treatise by Augustine (before 1200)).

literature

• Kirsten Nagel: The Gersdorff Collection , Writings on Art History, Vol. 13, Hamburg 2006, ISBN 3-8300-2355-3
• City Museum Bautzen / Regional Museum (ed.): "Foundation and Legacy" - The collection of Hans von Gersdorff zu Weicha and the city of Bautzen in the 17th century , ISBN 978-3-930382-69-9
• Walter Schmitz: The foundation library Hans von Gersdorffs . In: Between the times. Volume I. Ed. City Museum Bautzen. Dresden: Michel Sandstein Verlag 2002, pp. 66–73. - Adults and modified: The book collector Hans von Gersdorff (1630–1692) and his library . In: Regional cultural space and intellectual communication from humanism to the age of the Internet. Festschrift for Klaus Garber. Ed. V. Axel Walter. (= Chloe. Supplements to Daphnis). Amsterdam u. New York: Rodopi 2004, pp. 797-824.

Web links

• Literature by and about Hans von Gersdorff in the catalog of the German National Library
• Entry on the foundation library in the manual of historical book holdings
• Isabella von Treskow: Gersdorff, Hans von . In: Institute for Saxon History and Folklore (Ed.): Saxon Biography .