Melchior Barthel
Melchior Barthel ( born December 10, 1625 in Dresden, † November 12, 1672 ) was a German sculptor of the Baroque.
Life
Melchior Barthel was born on December 10, 1625 in Dresden, the son of the Dresden sculptor Hieronimus Barthel. At the age of 15 he began an apprenticeship with his father, but died shortly afterwards. After his death, he looked around for a new teacher, whom he found in Johann Böhme in Schneeberg. In 1645 he took on his travels, which later led him to Regensburg to Passau sculptor Heinrich Wilhelm and sculptor Johann Seitz, where he successfully completed his apprenticeship. Further, the wandering went through Austria to Ulm. There he met the then famous David Helscher, also Heschler, working with ivory. Three years later he went to Rome, where he worked independently. After two years he left the city and turned to Venice. There he created in the period 1659-1669 together with the architect Baldassare Longhena the tomb of the Doge Giovanni Pesaro in the Frari Church, with 4 giant Negro atlases, dead skeletons, the four Evangelists, two dragons, two allegorical groups and the portrait figure of the Doge. This work is considered his artistic masterpiece. Barthel lived and worked for 17 years in Venice. In 1670 he returned to Dresden and was appointed the same year to the court sculptor at the Saxon court by the Elector Johann Georg II. He brought two students sculptor, Paul Premsler and Elias Ränz to Dresden. Another of his students was the sculptor Mathias Václav Jäckel, who later settled down in Prague. Renz was a sought-after sculptors in Bayreuth. His health deteriorated greatly and already on November 12, 1672 he died in Dresden.