Friedrich Drake
Friedrich Drake ( born June 23, 1805 in Pyrmont, † April 6, 1882 in Berlin; Complete name: Johann Friedrich Drake ) was a German sculptor, a pupil of Christian Daniel Rauch and an excellent representative of the Berlin school of sculpture. His most famous work is the Victoria at the Berlin Victory Column.
Life and work
Friedrich Drake was the son of a mechanic, began an apprenticeship as a turner in Minden and then worked in his father's workshop. After he had been called the age of 22 for military service, he was saved by an unfamiliar advocate it. Parallel to his craft he had copied " for my amusement " various alien sculptures " found what cheer and sales. " A relative of Christian Daniel Rauch finally gave Drake inclusion in Rauch's studio in Berlin. To this end, he wrote:
" In the studio of Professor smoke I started my studies and took the same time at the Royal Academy of Arts, at the modeling exercise after the live model part, and used me after some time the Professor smoke also to help with his work. (Quotations sent when Essers, see References. ) "
As his own work a Madonna (1829, the only religious work Drakes ), a relief after Goethe's fifth Elegy (1832 ) and its first major contract, arose " a colossal statue Justus Moser for the city of Osnabrück " (1836 set ). The fee allowed him a mandatory for many German artists to Italy. With a letter of recommendation smoke he visited Rome in 1836 in the highly renowned Danish Bertel Thorvaldsen colleagues, who ( after an engraving ) Drakes Goethe- relief is said to have praised.
1837 returned to Berlin he was appointed member of the Academy of Arts, a sculptor 's workshop set up and fetched from Pyrmont his brothers George and Louis, who served as his assistants, and his sister Caroline, who ran the household. As Caroline married the painter Eduard Meyer home, married Drake 1843, the Hamburg Lisette Schönherr, with whom he had six children.
1847 Drake was appointed Royal Professor. From 1852 to 1866 his teaching is attested at the Berlin Academy. During this time he was admitted on 31 May 1863 in the Prussian Order Pour le Mérite for Sciences and Arts, the Vice-Chancellor he was on May 31, 1879. He introduced the act and invented as a trained mechanic, a frame which facilitated the nude model to hold the position.
Numerous monuments jobs occupied the workshop is now full. Around the Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm IV ordered his father Frederick William III. , Which was unveiled in 1849 in Berlin's Tiergarten and great assent was the still image. 1855, for the 400th Birthday of Philipp Melanchthon, presented the Wittenberg a monument of Luther companions next to the Luther sculpture of Johann Gottfried Schadow ( 1821 ) on their marketplace. And on July 4, 1876 to mark the centenary of the Declaration of Independence, Drakes statue of America Alexander von Humboldt was unveiled in Philadelphia. 1859 Drake was a second marriage with the Countess Marie of Waldeck one after his first wife died after only twelve years of marriage.
In addition to the Academy exhibitions in which new works from Drake were discussed regularly, even on regional exhibitions were charged with his sculptures: in 1851 and 1862, the world exhibitions in London, in 1855 and 1867, the world exhibitions in Paris and in 1858 and 1869, the international art exhibitions in Munich.
1873, the inauguration of the Berlin Victory Column was held. Drake had crowned with a gilded bronze Victoria. However, immediately got the size ratio of the Victoria and column in the criticism. The 8.30 m wide Goldelse was considered too big and too clumsy for the 50.60 m small column. But even after they had enlarged the column, 1939 at another drum of 7.50 m, joked of Berlin:
"So of smoke is not this Victoria. - No, because the Victory Column is yes OOCH keen chimney ".
Work (selection)
Base relief on the statue of Friedrich Wilhelm III. in the Tiergarten Berlin
Grave of Friedrich Drake on the old St. Matthew's Cemetery Berlin