Ernst Plassmann (14 June 1823 – 28 November 1877; alternate spelling, Plassman) was a German-American sculptor and carver.

Biography

Born in Sondern, Wuppertal,

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...

, Plassmann began to study art under Munstermann, then continued his studies in

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, and finally in

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, where he spent about four years in the studio of Michel Liénard. He moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1853, and in 1854 established "Plassmann's School of Art", which he ran the rest of his life. In 1858 he founded the "Verein fur Kunst und Wissenschaft" (Association for Art and Science). In New York he became known for his statue of

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin (April 17, 1790) was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and Political philosophy, political philosopher.#britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the m ...

(1870–1) in Printing House Square, depicted as a printer by including an issue of the ''

Pennsylvania Gazette ''The Pennsylvania Gazette'' was one of the United States' most prominent newspapers from 1728 until 1800. In the years leading up to the American Revolution, the newspaper served as a voice for colonial opposition to Kingdom of Great Britain, ...

'' in his left hand. Plassmann spent months researching Franklin busts, portraits, and costumes, and he "labored conscientiously for several months" on the "colossal" clay statue, which was inaugurated on 17 January 1872. His figures of Franklin and Guttenberg are located on the New Yorker Staats-Zeitung building (c.1873). The heroic statue of Chief

Tammany Tamanend ("the Affable"; ), historically also known as Taminent, Tammany, Saint Tammany or King Tammany, was the Chief of Chiefs and Chief of the Turtle Clan of the Lenape, Lenni-Lenape nation in the Delaware Valley signing the founding peace t ...

, a legendary Delaware Indian chief, was part of the façade of

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on 14th Street (1868/9), while the 1869 bronze statue of

Cornelius Vanderbilt Cornelius Vanderbilt (May 27, 1794 – January 4, 1877), nicknamed "the Commodore", was an American business magnate who built his wealth in railroads and shipping. After working with his father's business, Vanderbilt worked his way into lead ...

, the ''Commodore Vanderbilt'', is located at the south façade of

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Grand Central Terminal Grand Central Terminal (GCT; also referred to as Grand Central Station or simply as Grand Central) is a commuter rail terminal station, terminal located at 42nd Street (Manhattan), 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York Ci ...

. A Plassmann sculpture stands in the freight depot of the

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(1870), aside from various metal works, including medals. In 1875, he published ''Modern Gothic Ornaments'' with 83 plates. He began publishing ''Designs for Furniture'' in 1877, and had completed three parts by the time of his death (in New York City).

Selected works

* (1875) ''A collection of modern Gothic ornaments for architects, sculptors, modelers, designers, painters, &c., &c. '' * (1877) ''Designs for furnitures and development,'' File:Bas relief over old NYC HRRR (Hudson River Railroad) terminal at St. Jones Park, from Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views.jpg, Cornelius Vanderbilt pediment (1868), Hudson River Railway Freight Depot. Demolished. File:Cornelius Vanderbilt Statute at Grand Central Terminal.jpg, ''Commodore Vanderbilt'' (1868), relocated to Grand Central Terminal, 1929. File:Schickel Staats-Zeitung 1873.jpg, Staats-Zeitung Building (c. 1873). Demolished for construction of the approach to the Brooklyn Bridge. File:Tammany Hall LC-USZ62-101734.jpg, Tammany Hall, West 14th Street, NYC

Biography

Selected works

References

Further reading