John Andrew Graefer

John Andrew Graefer (baptized January 1, 1746 in Helmstedt ; † August 7, 1802 in Bronte ), actually Johann Andreas Graefer , was a German gardener and botanist . At the end of the 18th century he was the chief gardener for the King of Naples and the author of several floral works .

Origin and education

Graefer was the son of the turner Johann Albrecht Graefer. His professional career began as an apprentice in the medical garden in Helmstedt . His maternal grandfather was a gardener. In 1763, Duke Carl zu Braunschweig-Lüneburg made it possible for him to travel to England to study plants from the New World , which were considered indispensable for the design of English-style landscape gardens . Graefer, who was interested in botany, apparently did not return to his home country and used the opportunities that his host country offered him professionally; he became a gardener at Croome Court in 1767 . Around 1770 he probably worked with Lancelot Brown , the leading designer of English gardens. In 1776/1777 Graefer managed to become a partner in a nursery .

Work in Italy

Graefer's life underwent a radical change through the recommendation of Joseph Banks , who brought him the management of new gardens to be laid out in the royal palace in Caserta near Naples. The creation of a "modern" garden in the landscape style was an idea of William Hamilton , who succeeded in persuading Queen Maria Carolina to undertake this unusual project for Italy. In 1786 Graefer moved to Naples with his children. The work of the “Austrian” Graefer did not find the desired recognition in the following years; Maria Carolina soon grew tired of the project, and the concept of a giardino all'inglese was not understood. Graefer suffered humiliations and, from 1788, drastic salary cuts in order to continue to work as a leading gardener for King Ferdinando IV . He was subordinated to the architect Carlo Vanvitelli , Luigi's son, who was responsible for the overall design of the palace complex designed by Luigi Vanvitelli by Caserta . Graefer succeeded in planting a landscape garden, as well as a botanical and a herb garden.

The work in Caserta came to an abrupt end due to political unrest and the occupation by Napoleon . Graefer fled to Sicily with the royal family . There he worked for Admiral Horatio Nelson in Bronte for a short time until his death . Graefer's son John ( Giovanni ) continued his father's gardening work.

Graefer had six children from two marriages: John, Charles, George and Caroline; Ferdinando (died early) and Maria. In addition to his horticultural and landscape design work, he worked as a botanist. He wrote two floral works: A descriptive catalog of upwards of eleven hundreds of species and variations herbaceous and perennial plants was published in 1789 and had several editions (4th edition 1804); the description Flora dell'Isola di Capri was written in 1791 and has not been published. The manuscript is considered lost.

literature

• Marcus Köhler: From Helmstedt to Naples. The gardener Johann Andreas Graefer. In: Braunschweigisches Jahrbuch für Landesgeschichte. Volume 81, 2000, pages 163-172.
• Carlo Knight : John Andrew Graefer . In: Oxford dictionary of national biography. From the earliest times to the year 2000 , edited by HCG Matthew and Brian Harrison . Volume 23. Oxford University Press , Oxford and New York 2004, ISBN 0-19-861373-3 , pages 165-166.
• Marcus Köhler, Uwe Schneider: Johann Andreas Graefer. In: General Artist Lexicon . Volume 60. Saur, Munich and Leipzig 2008, ISBN 978-3-598-22800-1 , pages 38-39.