Jörg Hofmann (carpenter)
Jörg Hofmann (* around 1660 as Johann Georg Hofmann or Hoffmann ; † May 15, 1714 in Zeil am Main ) was an important carpenter and carver at the time of the Baroque in Upper Mainland . He was best known for his perfectly formed, artistic work that went far beyond the craftsmanship. Around the time Jörg Hofmann was alive there were five other Jörg Hofmanns in Zeil, one of whom was a well-known stone sculptor. Contrary to what can often be read in the specialist literature, according to recent research from the 1990s, it is definitely two different people. The year of death 1734 most often mentioned is that of the stone sculptor.
Life
Birth and origin
When and where Jörg Hofmann was born cannot be determined with certainty. According to the Bamberg historian Hilmar Gareiß, Hofmann was probably born in Neubrunn , today a district of Kirchlauter in the former district of Ebern . However, it is almost certain that he comes from the area of the Bamberg bishopric , as otherwise he would probably not have been recruited for a Bamberg regiment. A plausible, but not proven, theory for Hofmann's origin comes from Zeil local researcher Heinrich Weisel: Hofmann could come from the Erlangen or Forchheim area, which can be deduced from the inscription on his later home in Zeil. It is today's Hertleins-Haus ( Zur Stadt Zeil restaurant ). There is the inscription 16 Gerg Hofmann 86 on the archway . The first name Gerg is the dialect form of the nickname Georg of the Erlangen and Forchheim area. In the area around Zeil this nickname is Jörg and in the Bamberg area it is Görg . This thesis is strengthened by the local history researcher Alois Umlauf from Zeil, who has dedicated himself to the craftsmanship of the carpenter Jörg Hofmann since the mid-1980s. Extensive comparisons of half-timbered houses from Franconia with the secured buildings of Hofmann show that Hofmann's buildings were based on the Forchheim town hall.
Military service, marriage and life in Zeil
Jörg Hofmann was mentioned in writing for the first time as a soldier in 1679. He was a member of the Bamberg Dragoon Regiment under Commander Wilhelm Weigand von Falckenstein, some of which had set up their winter quarters in Zeil in 1678/1679. The Bamberg troops participated as mercenaries in the war against Louis XIV in 1678/79 , as Bamberg was a member of the Franconian Empire . At that time, each regiment had two carpenters "... to cut down palisades, open the gates, clear the paths and repair the bridges". After the peace treaty of Nijmwegen on February 5, 1679 , large parts of the Bamberg troops were released, including Jörg Hofmann.
During his time in Zeil he probably met his future wife Christina Culmann, so that he returned to Zeil after his military service. On January 30, 1680, he and her had a daughter named Eva Klara. This was initially listed as “illegitima filia”, ie illegitimate daughter, but Jörg Hofmann and Christina Culmann married on February 12, 1680. The marriage certificate also does not contain any information on the later carpenter's place and year of birth. When specifying the groom, the author of the marriage certificate named him only as "miles sub Wilhelmo Wigando de Falckenstein". Unlike ordinary citizens, he apparently did not have to present a birth certificate, since a soldier was considered an official at the time and was thus adequately identified. In addition to his daughter Eva Klara, he and his wife had two sons. Jörg Hoffmann probably died in 1714.
Works
His first secured work that is still preserved today is his former home, which he built between 1686 and 1689. It is known in Zeil as the Jörg Hofmann House . Two faces on the facade on the first floor show the client and the builder how one inferred from the corresponding initials. It can be assumed that the face with the curved mustache is that of Jörg Hofmann. These and other faces and grimaces are the main features of the carved house facades by Jörg Hofmann. Since these are not common in the Franconian region, it needs the inspiration for it before his time as a soldier on the roll or until his military service as a dragoon from a more remote area, presumably from the resin , the Westerwald or the Hessian mountains get where such masks on facades were part of the traditional architectural style. According to Alois Umlauf, the decorations are in the beginning compared to the buildings in Burgkunstadt and Scheßlitz, which fits the traditional chronological order of the buildings.
In 1689 Hofmann began building the Burgkunstadter town hall , which is often regarded as his main work. After several negotiations with the carpenter Crantz from Kronach , the city council signed a contract with Jörg Hofmann for the construction of the town hall. His assignment was to add another story with two high gables to the old two-story massive building. In the gable there is another floor and an attic. After seven months of construction, the roof structure was erected and the invoice was already issued on June 25, 1690 after the renovation was completed. According to Georg Dehio's description in his handbook of German art monuments, the town hall is regarded as a “gem among half-timbered buildings ” due to its excellent exterior and interior wooden architecture . The initials in the parapet "JHM -Z VZ" designate the master builder Jörg Hofmann, carpenter from Zeil.
In 1692 Hofmann built the so-called Dillig'sche House in Scheßlitz . Along with his house in Zeil and the Burgkunstadter Town Hall, it is one of the three important buildings for which Hofmann was known. His initials "JHZ V Z" (Jörg Hofmann Zimmermann von Zeil) are affixed to the facade. It served as a guild house for brewers and butters .
The symbol of Baunach are the wooden men at a free-standing gate. The posts of the round arch are two carved wooden soldiers . Above it is a cornice beam with an inscription. The processing of the wood and the year 1710 with the strange number 1 indicate Jörg Hofmann as a master builder.
The richly decorated surfaces of the old mill in Stettfeld are an early work by Hofmann, the date of which is unknown .
Since it was long assumed that Hofmann had died in 1734, the clockmaker's house in Königsberg in Bavaria , built in 1733, was attributed to him due to his individual architectural style. But since the house was completed 19 years after his death, it cannot come from him. Weisel suspects that the builder may have been one of Hofmann's two sons, who adopted his father's style. However, there is no evidence of this. Nor could Hofmann have made the stalls for the parish church of St. Michael in Zeil, made in 1728 and attributed to him.
literature
- Reinhard Gutbier: Zeil and Königsberg - two half-timbered towns in comparison . In: Contributions to historical monuments , Lipp Verlag, Munich 1991, pp. 174–185
- Eberhardt Lanz: Burgkunstadt Town Hall , Burgkunstadt, City of Burgkunstadt 2010
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa from Brigitte Krause, Heinrich Weisel: The carpenter Jörg Hofmann, a historical confusion. (1997) ( Memento of the original from February 20, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , hbrech.tripod.com, accessed December 1, 2012
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Our Town Hall - Builder , burgkunstadt.de, accessed on December 1, 2012
- ^ Hermann Mauer, Josef Barth, Konrad Hamm, Josef Gaßner, Rudolf Winkler: Chronik der Stadt Zeil am Main , Volume 2, editor: Stadt Zeil am Main, 1975, p. 276., p. 296.
- ↑ a b Lanz (2010), pp. 4–5
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Hofmann, Jörg |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Hofmann, Johann Georg (name at birth); Hoffmann, Jörg |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German carpenter and carver |
| DATE OF BIRTH | around 1660 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Neubrunn near Kirchlauter |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 15, 1714 |
| Place of death | Zeil am Main |