Josef Alois Knittel (20 April 1814, Oberbach – 23 December 1875,

Freiburg im Breisgau Freiburg im Breisgau or simply Freiburg is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fourth-largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, Mannheim and Karlsruhe. Its built-up area has a population of abou ...

) was an Austrian-born German sculptor. On his mother's side, he was a nephew of the painter,

Joseph Anton Koch Joseph Anton Koch (27 July 1768 – 12 January 1839) was an Austrian painter of Neoclassicism and later the German Romantic movement; he is perhaps the most significant neoclassical landscape painter. Biography The Tyrolese painter was born ...

; on his father's side, an uncle of Anna Stainer-Knittel. His sons, and also became sculptors.The Estate of Alois and Adolf Knittel
@ Stadtarchiv Freiburg

Biography

His father was a master tailor. He displayed an early talent for art, which prompted his drawing teacher, , to suggest that he be sent to Munich for further studies. In 1835, he enrolled at the

Academy of Fine Arts The following is a list of notable art schools. Accredited non-profit art and design colleges * Adelaide Central School of Art * Alberta College of Art and Design * Art Academy of Cincinnati * Art Center College of Design * The Art Institute ...

there; becoming a student of

Ludwig Schwanthaler Ludwig Michael Schwanthaler, later ennobled as Ritter von Schwanthaler (26 August 1802 – 14 November 1848), was a German sculptor who taught at the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich. Biography Schwanthaler was born in Munich. His family had been ...

and

Peter von Cornelius Peter von Cornelius (23 September 1783, Düsseldorf – 6 March 1867, Berlin) was a German Painting, painter; one of the main representatives of the Nazarene movement. He was the uncle of the composer Peter Cornelius (1824–1874). Life Earl ...

.Rosemarie Beck, Roland Meinig: ''Brunnen in Freiburg'', Rombach, Freiburg im Breisgau 1991, pp. 43f. He completed his studies in 1838, and settled in Munich. In 1847, he moved to Freiburg, where he would live for the rest of his life. The following year, he married Thekla Geiges (1836-1898); daughter of the District Auditor, Anton Geiges, and sister of the city's Master Builder, . He was godfather to his nephew, , who would become a glass painter. In 1850, the sculptor , studied with him and , before setting off on foot to Rome in 1852. Kopf would later create works from Knittel's original models. His niece, Anna, came to him in 1867, seeking his support for her proposed marriage, which her father was trying to prevent. He was awarded a major commission by Mayor Carl Röttinger to create four statues, depicting the seasons, for the grounds of the Freiburg railway station. He had barely completed the preliminary sketches when he died of heart failure. His widow and two sons continued to operate his studio for many years. Most of his work was done in

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

. His best known work is the monument to

Berthold Schwarz Berthold Schwarz O.F.M. (sometimes spelled Schwartz), also known as Berthold the Black and der Schwartzer, was a legendary German (or in some accounts Danish or Greek) alchemist of the late 14th century, credited with the invention of gunpowde ...

, the

alchemist Alchemy (from the Arabic word , ) is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practised in China, India, the Muslim world, and Europe. In its Western form, alchemy is first ...

credited with inventing gunpowder, on the Freiburg town square. Several works, including a large statue of

Albert VI, Archduke of Austria Albert VIKonstantin Moritz A. Langmaier: Erzherzog Albrecht VI. von Österreich (1418–1463). Ein Fürst im Spannungsfeld von Dynastie, Regionen und Reich (= Forschungen zur Kaiser- und Papstgeschichte des Mittelalters. Bd. 38). Böhlau, Köln ...

, were destroyed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

.Mutterhaus der barmherzigen Schwestern
@ Alt Freiburg Statues representing Theory and Technology, on the old

Realschule Real school (, ) is a type of secondary school in Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia (''realna gimnazija''), the Austrian Empire, the German Empire, Denmark and Norway (''realskole''), Sweden (''realskola''), F ...

, were demolished during construction of the

University Library An academic library is a library that is attached to a higher education institution, which supports the curriculum and the research of the university faculty and students. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, there are an es ...

in 1978, as they had been damaged during the war.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Knittel, Josef Alois German sculptors Sculptors from the Austrian Empire 1814 births 1875 deaths Academy of Fine Arts, Munich alumni People from Reutte District

Biography

References

Further reading

External links