Jacob Ungerer
Jacob Ungerer (born June 13, 1840 in Munich ; † April 27, 1920 there ; also Jakob Ungerer ) was a German sculptor and art professor.
Life
Jacob Ungerer was born on June 13, 1840 in Munich-Untersendling. On his father's side, he came from a family of Munich cafetiers and brewery owners who had become wealthy in the 19th century and became technology pioneers (for example, Jacob's nephew August Ungerer, who set up the first Munich tram line in 1886 ). Jacob Ungerer's mother came from a family of glassblowers from Zwiesel .
After finishing school, Jacob Ungerer began studying art in the class of antiquities at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich in 1858, which he completed in 1864 (matriculation number 1510). His teacher was the sculptor Prof. Max von Widnmann . From 1864 to 1866 he went on a study trip to Italy with a longer stay in Rome. After returning in 1866, he moved into his own sculptor's studio in Munich. In 1890 he was appointed professor of sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich . Ungerer died on April 17, 1920 in Munich. Almost the entire estate of Ungerer, including many models, paintings and drawings, was destroyed in a bomb attack on Chemnitz during World War II.
The work
The Mende fountain in Leipzig
In Leipzig in 1883 Ungerer created the neo-baroque figure decorations for the monumental Mende fountain , which was donated by the rich widow Marianne Pauline Mende. The Mende Fountain is an allegory of the element water , depicted in characters from Greek mythology. The outer basin symbolizes the ocean: the dolphins on the shore represent the estuaries that allow the water to flow into the sea. The hippocamps - mythical creatures half horse, half fish - show the threatening and violent sides of the water. They are tamed by the Tritons , the sons of Poseidon . The Nereids symbolize the peaceful relationship between water and humans - as a thriving exchange, as a sign of the benefits humans derive from the sea. The obelisk like the putti point up to the sky, which gives water to the earth as rain.
Mende fountain, old view around 1900
Mende Fountain 2006
Mende Fountain, The putti at the foot of the obelisk
Mende Fountain, Triton and Hippocampus
The other sculptures by Ungerer in Leipzig also fall during the time of the Mende Fountain: the sculptures for the Museum of Fine Arts , for the municipal trade school (today: University of Technology, Economics and Culture Leipzig ), for the Royal Conservatory of Music (today: University for music and theater "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig ) and for the old Grassi Museum .
The sculptures at Hamburg City Hall
The builder of the Hamburg town hall, Martin Haller , asked Ungerer in a letter in 1893 to design “a dainty, richly structured portal” , “the so-called bride gate - which should serve young couples as the entrance to the registry office when they take the first step into the Marriage want to be surrounded with greater pomp than our meager offices in the Hamburg registry offices housed in dirty multi-storey buildings. ” Under the god of marriage, Hymen with two torches, Adam with a loyal dog should be on the right and Eve with the snake offering the apple on the left , are located. The whole thing is crowned by two turtling pigeons. Adam and Eve are “naturally to be depicted in paradisiacal nakedness. Since the genitals are then almost at eye level with the beholder, it might be advisable to cover them with a branch in the naive manner of the Middle Ages. ” (Source: StAHH 322-1 RBK 149). However, the plans to “attach the heads of Bluebeard and Xantippen with the insignia of a knife and slipper” as a reminder for the bride and groom had to be dropped: “ We were strictly forbidden from completing the work that the stone carver had already started and this was the reason for this prohibition that the portrayal of such horrors have a harmful effect on young bride and groom, perhaps even turn them away from their plans and thereby exert a detrimental influence on the desirable increase in Hamburg's population. " (Source: Martin Haller, Vom Hamburger Rathausbau, lecture held in Association for Art and Science in Hamburg on November 8, 1897).
The figural decoration of the bridal gate was completed in 1896. In addition, Ungerer created the statue of Charles V for the Kaisergalerie on the facade of the Hamburg City Hall. However, the plans to set up a registry office in the town hall were rejected by the Hamburg Senate, so that a bride never walked through the bridal gate.
Hymen (Bridal Gate, Hamburg City Hall)
Adam (Bridal Gate, Hamburg City Hall)
Eva (Bridal Gate, Hamburg City Hall)
Karl V (Kaisergalerie, Hamburg City Hall)
Works in Munich and in Linderhof Palace
Ungerer also created figure decorations for various public buildings in Munich, for example for the Palace of Justice built by Friedrich von Thiersch in 1897 , as well as 4 apostles for the altar of St. Ursula Church . Nothing more is known about Ungerer's work for Linderhof Palace .
Work for the porcelain factory in Meißen
In 1902 he designed several figures for the porcelain factory in Meißen , such as "The gardener girl with a dog", "Mr with a dog", "Mr with binoculars and walking stick", "Gallant lady with a fan", "The lady with a cat" and "The goose girl ".
Figurines by Jacob Ungerer: "Gardener girl with dog", "The goose girl", "The lady with cat", 1902
Figurines by Jacob Ungerer: “Lady with a fan”, “Gentleman with binoculars and walking stick, 1902
Honors
- In 1874 Ungerer took part in the International Exhibition of all Fine Arts, Industries and Inventions in London and received a medal from the President, the Prince of Wales Albert Edward.
- In 1896 Ungerer received a gold medal at the annual exhibition of Munich artists.
literature
- Friedrich Pecht : History of Munich Art in the 19th Century , Munich: Publishing House for Art and Science, 1888
- About Jacob Ungerer , in: Das Geistige Deutschland, 1 (1898)
- Arthur Schulz: German Sculptures of the Modern Era , Berlin - New York, 1900
- Jacob Ungerer , in: Art Chronicle, New Series 26 (1915) p. 468f .; 31 (1919/20) p. 621
- Munich Latest News : Obituary for Jacob Ungerer , May 1, 1920
- H. Schnell, Kleine Süddeutsche Kirchenführer , 3 (1936) H. 140, pp. 4, 10
Web links
- The Mende Fountain in Leipzig
- Matriculation book of the Munich Art Academy with entry 1510: Jacob Ungerer
- Klaus Mühlfried, Architecture as an expression of political sentiment - Martin Haller and his work in Hamburg (PDF file; 7.82 MB)
- Jacob Ungerer (Sculpture Derived From Greek Hellenistic Influence 19th Century)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Ungerer, Jacob |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Ungerer, Jakob |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German sculptor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 13, 1840 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Munich |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 27, 1920 |
| Place of death | Munich |