Jakob Wald (sculptor)
Jakob Wald (born July 27, 1860 in Mauthen , † December 29, 1903 in Klagenfurt ) was an Austrian sculptor .
Life
“A highly talented Carinthian sculptor was Prof. Jakob Wald from Mauthen, who worked as a teacher at the craft school in Klagenfurt and who created the Enzenberg monument in Klagenfurt, the Nischelwitzer monument in Mauthen and the grave sculpture for Anton Pichler in Villach “(Franz Pichler in Die Kärntner Landsmannschaft No. 6/1961).
The artist must have been a personality and a fascinating figure. The news of his untimely and unexpected death spread like wildfire in Klagenfurt and caused concern everywhere. Wald had been torn from the midst of his work; He was only 44 years old when he choked to death of purulent angina on December 29, 1903 in Sariastraße 3. A year earlier he had led 22-year-old Johanna Heß, daughter of the architect and director of the state trade school, to the altar. He had just seen the birth of his daughter Trude, the child was born a week before his death. The sculptor was buried in the new cemetery in Annabichl on New Year's Eve. The tomb with its portrait medallion is in Gräberstrasse between fields II and III.
All newspapers reported on the sad event. As early as December 30, 1903, the Free Voices reported the death of the artist, who "had felt suffering for some time". And then it was said: “On trips that took him to Italy and France, he took in new impressions, which he then used artistically. His talent was most pronounced in portrayal, of which numerous busts bear testimony. "
The Kärntner Zeitung wrote in its New Year's edition: “We had several opportunities to see works by him in the Carinthian trade hall, for example the monument to the freedom fighters on Pass Strub two years ago and a bust of the former regional president von Fradenegg only in this year's Christmas exhibition, probably his last work. His 'Poacher from the Karawanken', 'The Palm Sunday', his 'Bird Catcher' are works of greatest artistic talent. ”In addition, the worthy memorial for“ his former patron, the long-time deputy and princely Porciaschen Vizedom Nischelwitzer ”as well as several relief busts of the Regional President Freiherrn von Schmidt Zabièrow remembers.
The last time the Klagenfurter Zeitung informed its readers about the funeral of the professor at the state craft school and honorary citizen of Mauthen was on January 3, 1904.
While the sculptor Kassin was working in Vienna , Wald created his works in Klagenfurt. Portrait sculpture flourished under these two artists. When a local great died, the bereaved found themselves in the Atelier Wald to have the eternal figure modeled. In 1887 the bust of K. Pogantsch, the founder of the agricultural and forestry business to which a wholesaler was affiliated, was unveiled in the garden of the Miklauzhof; In 1892 the bust of Gustav Graf von Egger , the owner of the goods and works in Rottenstein near Sankt Georgen am Längsee, who died in 1884, was created . After the death of the Klagenfurt brewery owner Josef Grömmer (1838–1897), Wald created a portrait medallion in bronze for the family crypt in the St. Ruprecht cemetery. The life-size bust of the timber merchant and landowner Stefan Kleinszig followed in 1898. "According to the statements of people who were close to the deceased during his lifetime, this was shown in the model in a very realistic manner". On January 9th, the Klagenfurter Zeitung read: “In execution of the resolution of the state parliament, the noble donor of the children's hospital, the deceased state medical officer, government councilor Prof. Dr. August Kraßnigg, the Carinthian regional committee decided to entrust the sculptor and kk Professor Jakob Wald in Klagenfurt with the implementation of the memorial. Kraßnigg's portrait can now be seen in high relief in his studio. It is characterized by being completely true to nature. It is intended to be made of bronze together with the ornamentation and then to be inserted into a marble tablet, whereupon the monument will be given a worthy place in the stairwell of this building. "
Of the public monuments in Klagenfurt, that of Enzenberg comes from the left of the portal of the Landhaus von Wald. The monument was a product of embarrassment within the framework of state art funding. After the Ministry of Culture had promised funds for artists and works of art or the erection of monuments to the history of the country, the responsible authorities initially did not know what to do with them. Finally, it was decided to erect a late monument to Count Franz Joseph von Enzenberg (1747–1821) and to commission Jakob Wald to carry out the work of art. On June 10, 1892, a local inspection took place on Sternallee (today Wiesbadener Strasse), during which the drafts were submitted to the state president and the mayor. Since they were able to warm to the project, 2000 guilders were approved for the erection of the statue and the garden design. And so in 1894 Jakob Wald created a larger than life bronze bust of the unexpectedly honored Count, which was ceremoniously unveiled on October 2, 1894. In his celebratory address, the state president stated, among other things: “It was not difficult for me to fulfill this mandate, since one of the local artists is Jakob Wald, who has repeatedly performed plastic works of art, and in particular portrait busts, in large circles Has won praise and recognition, and on the other hand, there is no lack of memorable people in the history of Carinthia who deserve to be publicly honored. "
The memorial stood in the country house garden until 1938. When the National Socialists cut down the trees on Sternallee to create a Heroes' Square, the Enzenberg monument in front of the south side of the country house had to give way. It almost seems like a miracle that the portrait of the count with the mighty skirt collar and the puffy neck tie did not fall victim to the non-ferrous metal collection in World War II.
The genesis of the monument to Bishop Peter Funder (1820–1886) in Greifenburg is even more unusual . To annoy his successor Josef Kahn (1839–1915), liberal circles commissioned Jakob Wald to create a monument for the man who was born in nearby Waisach . It was unveiled on October 6, 1894. In the features section about the Enzenberg monument in the Free Voices of October 6, 1894, the writer of the same also went into the Funder bust. “The bishop's friends and relatives extol the great resemblance; But the main merit of the artist lies in the fact that everyone must immediately recognize who he is actually looking at: not this or that bishop who was once valued or venerated somewhere, but the image of a real priest who was at the same time a whole man; a simple German farmer's son, a son of the Carinthian mountains, who was capable of fulfilling the noblest profession as vigorously as wisely. Serious and majestic, but also mild and brotherly, he looks at us and the mountains of his homeland. A fire breaks out of his eyes, which the Carinthian unfortunately usually lacks, and a strength reveals itself in the whole bust that we may not always love about the church. But here we feel spellbound: we admire the spirit and at the same time feel drawn to the soul of this man; the basic trait of his being seems mildness, forgiveness; all force and force dissolve into softness when we look at him for a long time. And just as the rigid ore gained such a life, so does the name no longer seem hard and iron, which the inscription on the stone announces: as if touched by a blessing, the wanderer reads the words with deep emotion - Petrus Funder. "
The sculptor was a descendant of Adam and Theresia Wald, both born in 1823. They were 37 when their son Jakob was born on July 27, 1860. The couple was recalled to the afterlife relatively early: Mr. Wald died in 1880. Ms. Wald in 1881.
Picture gallery
Monument to Petrus Funder, Greifenburg
Monument to Gabriel Jessernig, Klagenfurt
Enzenberg monument, Klagenfurt
Bust in the cemetery in Viktring-Stein, Klagenfurt
Last resting place at the Annabichler Friedhof, Klagenfurt
Works (selection)
- Bust for Franz Josef Count Enzenberg, Klagenfurt
- Bust for Bishop Petrus Funder, Greifenburg
- Bust for Gabriel Jessernigg, Klagenfurt
- Bust for Max Ritter von Moro, Stein-Viktring cemetery, Klagenfurt
- Portrait medallion on the family grave, Annabichler Friedhof, Klagenfurt
literature
- Anton Kreuzer : Carinthian biographical sketches - 19./20. Century. Kärntner Druck- und Verlagsgesellschaft, Klagenfurt 1996, ISBN 3-85391-134-X .
Individual evidence
- ^ Kärntner Zeitung of January 1, 1903
- ↑ Klagenfurter Zeitung, January 3, 1903
- ^ Free votes, March 1, 1898
- ^ Klagenfurter Zeitung, January 9, 1898.
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Forest, Jacob |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Austrian sculptor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 27, 1860 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Mauthen |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 29, 1903 |
| Place of death | Klagenfurt |