Richard Schmidt (art historian)

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Richard Schmidt (born February 16, 1889 in Esslingen am Neckar , † October 16, 1973 in Stuttgart ) was a German art historian and monument conservator .

Life

Richard Wolfgang Schmidt was born in Esslingen as the son of the painter Reinold Schmidt. He attended the Eberhard-Ludwigs-Gymnasium in Stuttgart and studied architecture at the technical universities in Stuttgart and Darmstadt as well as art history at the University of Heidelberg . Schmidt was a soldier in the First World War . In 1919 he received his doctorate from the University of Heidelberg with a dissertation on the tower of the Kilian's Church in Heilbronn. In the same year Richard Schmidt came to the antiquities collection in Stuttgart as an assistant. Since 1923 he became a leading and responsible person for the preservation of buildings and art monuments in Württemberg, 1938 chief curator, in 1952 he was awarded the title of professor. Until his retirement he was head of the State Office for Monument Preservation in Stuttgart. Since 1948 he was married to the photographer Helga Schmidt-Glassner .

Services

Richard Schmidt prepared the national directory of architectural monuments over many years. He made a significant contribution to the fact that restorers were scientifically trained and familiar with modern methods of monument conservation. He was the author of the annual reports of the State Office for the Preservation of Monuments in the Swabian Homeland, which appeared annually in the appendix from 1931.

Among the often very extensive repairs of historical buildings are exemplarily mentioned the uncovering of Gothic murals in Eriskirch , Schäftersheim and Weilheim BDC , securing the frescoes in the Veitskapelle in Stuttgart and the discovery and recovery of the original painting of almost all rooms in Ludwigsburg . He participated in the renovation of large church rooms, mostly from the Baroque era, such as B. in Kißlegg , Ochsenhausen , Scheer , Waldsee, Schussenried and Steinhausen , the extensive repair of the fortifications of Vellberg , the preservation of the Marien altar by Riemenschneider and the high altar in the Herrgottskirche zu Creglingen .

His commitment to the protection of important cultural monuments during the Second World War was of inestimable importance : not only the security on site, but also the development of the Bad Friedrichshall salt mine as a bomb-proof shelter is thanks to him. He became the central coordinator for the protection of numerous archival documents and works of art. He worked on the churches to move their valuable equipment there. Works of art such as the figures on the altar of Kilian's Church in Heilbronn by Hans Seyfert or the famous Stuppach Madonna have been protected in Bad Friedrichshall . His tireless efforts to preserve important architectural monuments after the war are also unforgettable. Not always successful, such as B. at the stone house in Stuttgart, but often just like z. B. when receiving the New Palace in Stuttgart. Often enough he himself initiated public discussion with his articles.

Richard Schmidt's numerous publications are also of lasting value. In addition to the work on the inventory of the Ravensburg district , numerous individual investigations should be mentioned, which were enriched by photographs of his wife, Helga Schmidt-Glassner.

Honors

Fonts (selection)

  • The tower of the Kilian's Church in Heilbronn. A contribution to the building history of the early 16th century . Dissertation University of Heidelberg 1920.
  • Castles and palaces in Württemberg . In: Peter Goeßler (Ed.): Württemberg studies. Festschrift for the 70th birthday of Professor Eugen Nägele . Silberburg-Verlag, Stuttgart 1926.
  • Weissenau Abbey (= German Art Guide 34), Filser, Augsburg 1929.
  • The Herrgottskirche near Creglingen (= German Art Guide 48), Filser, Augsburg 1929.
  • The art and antiquity monuments in the former Danube district half volume 4. Oberamt Ravensburg / edit. by Richard Schmidt u. Hans Buchheit, Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Stuttgart 1931.
  • Solitude Castle near Stuttgart , Maisch & Queck, Gerlingen-Stuttgart 1931.
  • The old castle in Stuttgart , Schreiber, Stuttgart 1932.
  • Stuttgart - old and new castle (= large architectural monuments 42), Deutscher Kunstverlag, Berlin 1944.
  • The Comburg (photos by Helga Schmidt-Glassner), Langewiesche, Koenigstein i.Ts. 1951.
  • The Marienaltar in Creglingen by Tilman Riemenschneider (photos by Helga Schmidt-Glassner), Society for Scientific. Photo, Munich 1951.
  • The Schloßplatz in Stuttgart: a building-historical sketch, review and outlook , Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 1952.
  • Ludwigsburg Palace (photos by Helga Schmidt-Glassner), Hirmer, Munich 1954.
  • Weingarten (photos by Helga Schmidt-Glassner), Langewiesche, Koenigstein i.Ts. 1954.
  • Hohenloher Land , Deutsche Lande - German Art (photos by Helga Schmidt-Glassner), Deutscher Kunstverlag, Munich 1956
  • German imperial cities (photos by Helga Schmidt-Glaßner), Hirmer, Munich 1957.
  • Castles and palaces in Swabia (photos by Helga Schmidt-Glassner), Deutscher Kunstverlag, Munich 1957.
  • St. Gallen Abbey (photos by Helga Schmidt-Glassner), Langewiesche, Koenigstein i.Ts. 1958.
  • Castles of the German Middle Ages (photos by Helga Schmidt-Glassner), Hirmer, Munich 1959.
  • Einsiedeln (photos by Helga Schmidt-Glassner), Langewiesche, Koenigstein i.Ts. 1959.
  • Alpirsbach Abbey (photos by Helga Schmidt-Glassner), Köster, Koenigstein i.Ts. 1960.
  • Schwäbisch Gmünd (photos by Helga Schmidt-Glassner), Deutscher Kunstverlag, Munich 1961.
  • Monrepos Castle near Ludwigsburg (= Great Monuments 174), Deutscher Kunstverlag, Munich 1963.
  • Black Forest (photos by Helga Schmidt-Glassner), Deutscher Kunstverlag, Munich 1965.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Christhard Schrenk: Treasury of the Salt Mines Cultural assets survive the Second World War in Heilbronn and Kochendorf (= sources and research on the history of the city of Heilbronn 8). 1997.
  2. ↑ The appointment took place in the context of the 40th anniversary of the federal government on May 22, 1949: Honor roll. In: Schwäbisches Heimatbuch 1949. Ed. By Felix Schuster on behalf of the Schwäbisches Heimatbund. Stuttgart [1949], pp. 176-177, p. 176.
personal data
SURNAME Schmidt, Richard
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Schmidt, Richard Wolfgang
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German art historian and monument conservator
DATE OF BIRTH February 16, 1889
PLACE OF BIRTH Esslingen am Neckar
DATE OF DEATH 16th October 1973
Place of death Stuttgart