Jump to content

Dietrich Meinardus

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dietrich Meinardus (8 February 1804 – 5 January 1871) was a German sculptor and stone mason of the historicism in Düsseldorf.

Life

[edit]
Statue of Germania on Friedrichsplatz in Düsseldorf at the Unity Festival on 6 August 1848, contemporary illustration
Jesuiten-Monument at the Golzheimer Friedhof (on the left)

Born in Ovelgönne, Herzogtum Oldenburg,[1] Meinardus's life and work remain largely under-researched.[2] In 1848, he served as the executive sculptor for a monumental statue of Germania made of wood, cardboard, and canvas. The statue was designed by Düsseldorf painter Karl Ferdinand Sohn for the "Fest of German Unity" held at Friedrichsplatz in Düsseldorf.[3] Along with painters from the Düsseldorf school of painting, Meinardus was one of the founding members of the Malkasten, established in the same year.

As a member of the city's Protestant community, Meinardus resided in Düsseldorf's Altstadt. In 1838, he lived in the Ritterstraße[4] and by the 1850s, he had relocated to 380 Andreasstraße.[5] respectively 15.[6][clarification needed] In the early 1830s, he opened his sculpture workshop at Bolkerstraße [de] No. 441 and advertised his several years of study at the Kunstakademie and the certificates he obtained from there.[7]

Meinardus primarily focused on creating sacred art, particularly gravestones. He often collaborated with sculptors and architects who provided designs, such as Julius Bayerle and Johann Peter Götting [de], both sculptors, and the architect Johannes Kühlwetter. Some of his works can be found in the Golzheim cemetery [de]. The prominent sculptural piece in the cemetery is the high cross, architecturally designed by Johannes Kühlwetter, executed by Meinardus, and adorned with figures by Götting (Christ) and Bayerle (Mary).[8] This cross was erected in 1850[9] and was relocated to the "Millionenhügel" of the Düsseldorf North Cemetery in 1905 due to the construction of Klever Straße, which cut through the cemetery at its original location starting from 1903/1904. Another significant collaboration between Kühlwetter and Meinardus resulted in the 1843 Jesuit Monument, a communal grave featuring a stele in the form of a Neogothic pinnacle made of sandstone. It commemorates the clergy of the Society of Jesus order active in Prussian times at the Andreaskirche.[10]

Meinardus died in 1871 at the age of 66 in Düsseldorf.[11] He was buried in the grave of his wife Luise, née Dallemscheid (1812-1868), in the Golzheim cemetery.[11]

Following Meinardus's death, his workshop was continued by his son Alexander Meinardus (23 July 1843 - 23 June 1891).[12] In the third generation, Dietrich Meinardus' grandson Paul took over[13] the workshop and also signed under the name 'Dietrich Meinardus'. The grandson Siegfried (1874-1933) also became a sculptor.[14][15]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Johann Josef Scotti: Die Düsseldorfer Maler-Schule, oder auch Kunst-Akademie in den Jahren 1834, 1835 und 1836, und auch vorher und nachher. Schreiner, Düsseldorf 1837, p. 135 (Numerized)
  2. ^ Helga Becker: Anton Josef Reiss (1835–1900). Leben und Werk. Dissertation an der Rheinischen Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn 2016. Tectum Verlag, Marburg 2017, ISBN 978-3-8288-3861-1, p. 20 (Google Books, PDF)
  3. ^ Friedrich Schaarschmidt: Zur Geschichte der Düsseldorfer Kunst, insbesondere im XIX. Jahrhundert. Kunstverein für die Rheinlande und Westfalen, Düsseldorf 1902, p. 187.
  4. ^ Johann Friedrich Benzenberg: Alphabetisches Verzeichniß der stimmenberechtigten Mitglieder der evangelischen Gemeinde in Düsseldorf. Düsseldorf 1839, p. 16, Nr. 461
  5. ^ C. E. Lehmann (ed.): Wohnungs-Anzeiger und Adreßbuch der Oberbürgermeisterei Düsseldorf pro 1850. Düsseldorf 1850, p. 126 (Google Books)
  6. ^ Adreßbuch der Oberbürgermeisterei Düsseldorf auf das Jahr 1859. Düsseldorf 1859, p. 54 (Numerized)
  7. ^ Anzeige D. Meinardus, Bildhauer, Bolkerstraße 441, in Düsseldorfer Zeitung (No. 114) from 13 May 1834 (No. 114)
  8. ^ Grabmäler auf dem Nordfriedhof. Abbildung Nr. 4. In Rheinische Post. retrieved 9 September 2021.
  9. ^ Otto Schmitz: Der Golzheimer Friedhof. Ein Spaziergang über den alten Friedhof zu Düsseldorf. Verlag Traugott Bautz, Nordhausen 2004, ISBN 3-88309-156-1 [ Der Golzheimer Friedhof (PDF)]
  10. ^ Jesuiten-Monument. Webseite im Portal der-golzheimer-friedhof-soll-leben.de, retrieved 9 September 2021.
  11. ^ a b Herbert M. Schleicher (Redaktion) (1990). Der Golzheimer Friedhof zu Düsseldorf. Vol. 5. Cologne: Westdeutsche Gesellschaft für Familienkunde e. V. pp. 126, 219. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  12. ^ Bildhauer. In Adreßbuch der Oberbürgermeisterei Düsseldorf für das Jahr 1876. p. 95. (Numerized)
  13. ^ Under No. 3663 of the register of companies, the company "Meinardus" Bildhauerei with its registered office in Düsseldorf was registered today and the sculptor Paul Dietrich Meinardus was entered as its owner, Düsseldorf, 10 June 1896., in Düsseldorfer Volksblatt (No. 163) from 15 June 1896
  14. ^ Helmut Ebert: Deutsches Künstlerverzeichnis ab 1800. Selbstverlag, Münster 2011, p. 618. (Numerized)
  15. ^ Meinardus, Paul Diether, Bildhauer, Inhaber der Firma D. Meinardus, Duisburger Straße 38; Meinardus, Siegfrid, Jülicher Straße 28, in Adreßbuch für die Stadtgemeinde Düsseldorf 1909, p. 364

Further reading

[edit]
  • Inge Zacher: Friedhofsanlagen und Grabmäler der kommunalen Friedhöfe. In Eduard Trier, Willy Weyres (ed.): Kunst des 19. Jahrhunderts im Rheinland. Vol. IV: Plastik. Schwann, Düsseldorf 1980, ISBN 3-590-30254-2, p. 417.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dietrich Meinardus.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dietrich_Meinardus&oldid=1161488494"