Matthias Bernhard Braun

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Matthias Bernhard Braun (Czech: Matyáš Bernard Braun ) (* 25. February 1684 in Sautens in Tyrol ; † 16th February 1738 in Prague ) was one of the most important sculptor of the Baroque in Bohemia .

Trinity Column in Teplice
Figures by Matthias Bernhard Braun in the garden of the Nové Město nad Metují castle
Figure by Matthias Bernhard Braun in the garden of the castle of Nové Město nad Metují

Childhood and wandering

Matthias Bernhard Braun came from an artistic family; his talent was recognized early on. As a boy he got to know the work of the sculptor and woodcarver Andreas Thamasch , who had his workshop in nearby Stams and who created the well-known group of calvaries above the prince's crypt of the Stams monastery . From 1700 to 1704 he undertook a wandering to Italy - presumably with the support of the Abbot Edmund Zoz from Stams . In Venice, Verona, Florence and Rome he had the opportunity to get to know the works of the masters of the Renaissance and Baroque sculpture. Michelangelo's work in particular is said to have inspired him. He then spent another four years on a wandering through Austria and Bohemia and met the court sculptor Balthasar Permoser in Dresden , who was one of the most famous baroque sculptors north of the Alps. In 1710 Braun settled in Prague.

Success and advancement

As early as the year of his arrival in Prague, Braun created the statue of St. Luitgard for the Charles Bridge in Prague , the lively design of which corresponded to the style of the time and made him famous in one fell swoop. Large orders from church institutions, religious orders and noble families followed.

Braun created numerous figures of saints and groups of figures for churches as well as sculptures for palaces and gardens, often in collaboration with the well-known artists Peter Johann Brandl , Franz Maximilian Kaňka and Wenzel Lorenz Reiner .

His greatest sponsor was the wealthy Count Franz Anton von Sporck , a critic of the Jesuits and advocate of the early Enlightenment in Bohemia, whom Braun had already met on his wanderings in Bolzano . After Braun had created several sculptures for the castle in Lissa on the Elbe , Sporck also commissioned him with the sculptural design of his new country residence Kukus , which Braun adorned with many allegorical sculptures. In the nearby Neuwald ( Nový les ) he created large sculptures from several sandstone blocks protruding from the forest floor , guided by the desire to intervene in the landscape. The sculpture park also includes the depiction of a nativity scene , from which the area was named "Bethlehem" ( Betlém ). Thanks to Braun's works, Kuks and its surroundings became a center of baroque sculpture in Bohemia.

marriage and family

Braun acquired Bohemian citizenship in 1711 and married Elisabeth Myselius in 1717. The couple had five children. Due to the great demand for his works, he achieved a considerable possession. He found his final resting place in St. Stephen's Church in Prague. The sculpture workshop was continued by his nephew Anton Braun .

Works in Prague

Statues on the Charles Bridge

  • St. Luitgard (1710)
  • St. Ivo (1711)
  • St. Wenceslas and St. Ludmila (around 1720)

Palace

Others

  • Clementinum : statues of the church fathers and evangelists, pulpit, confessional and side altars in St. Clement's Church (1716–1721)
  • Villa America : stone sculptures of the four seasons in the garden of the villa
  • Jungmann-Platz : Boreas kidnaps the nymph Oreithyia (also: Time kidnaps beauty ); Original made of sandstone in Castle Dux badly damaged by vandals, therefore in the depot from 1985, not accessible to the public. In Prague, in front of the courtyard entrance of the Church of Our Lady of the Snow, there is a faithful (undamaged) replica made of artificial stone, created by the Prague sculptor František Pašek (* 1922)

Works in and around Kuks

Bust from Jaroměř
  • Allegory of the 8 Beatitudes (1713)
  • Angels of blessed and unhappy death
  • 12 vices and 12 virtues (1718–1719)
  • Allegory of Religion (1719)
  • Allegory of Justice and Truth (1720)
  • Neuwald ( Nový les ): Biblical scenes from sandstone rocks in the sculpture park Betlehem ( Betlém ) (1722–1732)
  • Stangendorf bei Kuks ( Stanovice ): sculptural design of the Trinity Chapel (1720)

Works in other places

  • Altbunzlau : group of statues in the St. Wenceslas Basilica; High altar of the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary ( together with FM Kaňka )
  • Beneschau : Statues of St. Adalbert and Prokop in the parish church of St. Nicholas
  • Dux : Sculptures and vases in front of the main courtyard of the palace
  • Hertin : Statue of King David
  • Hlavenec: Monumental monument to Emperor Charles VI.
  • Hořovice: sculptures in the chateau park
  • Jaroměř : Marian column
  • Kladrau : Altar sculptures and sculptures of the church fathers and religious saints in the Marienkirche, sculptures in the refectory , including the figure of the imperial count Franz Anton Sporck.
  • Konopischt : Statues of Bellona and Mars at the castle gate
  • ( Libčan ): Tomb of the Savior on the high altar and tomb of Count Peter Straka of Nedabylice in the Church of the Assumption
  • Liběchov: Perseus sculpture in the castle park
  • Litomischel : Rosslenker sculpture near the stables (1725)
  • Lysá nad Labem : sculptures for palace and garden
  • Neustadt an der Mettau : 24 garden gnomes in the castle park . ( The dwarfs were originally intended for Kuks Castle .)
  • Teplitz : Holy Trinity Column on Palace Square (1718)
  • Trautenau : Nepomuk statue and group of figures of the Holy Family
  • Waltsch ( Valeč ): Trinity column in front of the church and 32 sculptures in the castle park
  • Zittolib ( Citoliby ): sculptural decoration of the St. Jacob's Church (1715) and the castle (1718)

Individual evidence

  1. ^ According to information from the manager of the Duchcov Castle depot [1] Ladislav Nepožitek (accessed on October 31, 2019). Until 1985 the sculpture stood in a niche in the front wall of the terrace stairs.
  2. ^ Pavel Karous et al .: František Pašek. In: Vetřelci a volavky (Aliens and Herons). Pavel Karous, accessed October 31, 2019 .

literature

Web links

Commons : Matthias Bernhard Braun  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Braun, Matthias Bernhard
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Braun, Matyáš Bernard
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian Baroque sculptor in Bohemia
DATE OF BIRTH February 25, 1684
PLACE OF BIRTH Sautens Tyrol
DATE OF DEATH February 16, 1738
Place of death Prague