Ernst Mayer (sculptor)
Encyclopedia
Ernst Mayer was a German sculptor of Classicism. He was a pupil of Antonio Isopi and worked for Leo von Klenze
, mainly in München where he became professor of sculpting at the polytechnical school in 1830.
castle of Duke (later King) Friedrich I of Württemberg.
After elementary school, in 1810, Ernst Mayer was apprenticed to Antonio Isopi, the Italian sculptor working for the Württemberg king. From him he learned the “trade” of sculpting as well as the Italian language, which was beneficial to him on his later sojourn in Rome
.
When he had finished his apprenticeship he worked for Isopi both in Ludwigsburg and in Wasseralfingen
, where Isopi’s colossal sculptures lion and stag – still to be seen in front of the Stuttgart New Castle
– were cast.
In 1818 Leo von Klenze invited 22-year-old Ernst Mayer, together with Isopi, to Munich and employed him in his workshop.
Between 1818 and 1820 Mayer restored antique sculptures for the Glyptothek
. He also created stucco
models for the ceiling of Klenze’s riding hall and casting moulds for Johann Martin von Wagner’s ornaments of the portal and the façade of the new riding school.
From 1821 to 1825 Mayer was in Rome and again worked for Johann Martin von Wagner, who acquired antique statues for crown prince and king-to-be Ludwig I
.
At the same tame he was employed by the Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen
, where he created relief
s for the Walhalla
in Regensburg
. Mayer also created part of the memorial for Napoleon’s stepson and the Bavarian king’s Max son-in-law Eugène de Beauharnais
, which had been designed by Klenze and was completed by Thorvaldsen. The two genii at the bottom of the monument are by Mayer.
Back in Munich Ernst Mayer continued restoring antique statues, but also created sculptures of his own, e. g. the pediment figures for the Glyptothek building, among them three antique artists representing the crafts that Mayer himself practised: the modeller (Koroplastes), the bronze caster (Statuarius) and the stone sculptor (Glyptos).
In 1830 Mayer became professor for stone sculpting at the polytechnical school in Munich. He married Amailie Burgett (1808–1880) and the couple had three daughters and one son.
Mayer died in Munich at the age of 47 on 21 January 1844 of a skull fracture after a downfall on ice in front of his workshop. His successor at the Polytechnical School was his pupil Johann Halbig
.
(containing the wrong birth year)
Leo von Klenze
Leo von Klenze was a German neoclassicist architect, painter and writer...
, mainly in München where he became professor of sculpting at the polytechnical school in 1830.
Life
Mayer was the ninth child of Johann Ernst Mayer (1754–1812), a stocking manufacturer, who had become master of the household and garden supervisor at the LudwigsburgLudwigsburg
Ludwigsburg is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about north of Stuttgart city centre, near the river Neckar. It is the largest and primary city of the Ludwigsburg urban district with about 87,000 inhabitants...
castle of Duke (later King) Friedrich I of Württemberg.
After elementary school, in 1810, Ernst Mayer was apprenticed to Antonio Isopi, the Italian sculptor working for the Württemberg king. From him he learned the “trade” of sculpting as well as the Italian language, which was beneficial to him on his later sojourn in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
When he had finished his apprenticeship he worked for Isopi both in Ludwigsburg and in Wasseralfingen
Aalen
Aalen is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, about east of Stuttgart and north of Ulm. It is the seat of the Ostalbkreis district, and its largest city, as well as the largest city within the Ostwürttemberg region. In spatial planning, Aalen is designated a Mittelzentrum...
, where Isopi’s colossal sculptures lion and stag – still to be seen in front of the Stuttgart New Castle
New Castle (Stuttgart)
The New Palace is a building which stands on the south edge of Schlossplatz, the central square in Stuttgart, Germany. The castle is built in late Baroque style....
– were cast.
In 1818 Leo von Klenze invited 22-year-old Ernst Mayer, together with Isopi, to Munich and employed him in his workshop.
Between 1818 and 1820 Mayer restored antique sculptures for the Glyptothek
Glyptothek
The Glyptothek is a museum in Munich, Germany, which was commissioned by the Bavarian King Ludwig I to house his collection of Greek and Roman sculptures . It was designed by Leo von Klenze in the Neoclassical style, and built from 1816 to 1830...
. He also created stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
models for the ceiling of Klenze’s riding hall and casting moulds for Johann Martin von Wagner’s ornaments of the portal and the façade of the new riding school.
From 1821 to 1825 Mayer was in Rome and again worked for Johann Martin von Wagner, who acquired antique statues for crown prince and king-to-be Ludwig I
Ludwig I of Bavaria
Ludwig I was a German king of Bavaria from 1825 until the 1848 revolutions in the German states.-Crown prince:...
.
At the same tame he was employed by the Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen
Bertel Thorvaldsen
Bertel Thorvaldsen was a Danish-Icelandic sculptor of international fame, who spent most of his life in Italy . Thorvaldsen was born in Copenhagen into a Danish/Icelandic family of humble means, and was accepted to the Royal Academy of Arts when he was eleven years old...
, where he created relief
Relief
Relief is a sculptural technique. The term relief is from the Latin verb levo, to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is thus to give the impression that the sculpted material has been raised above the background plane...
s for the Walhalla
Walhalla temple
The Walhalla temple is a hall of fame that honors laudable and distinguished Germans, famous personalities in German history — politicians, sovereigns, scientists and artists of the German tongue". The hall is housed in a neo-classical building above the Danube River, east of Regensburg, in...
in Regensburg
Regensburg
Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...
. Mayer also created part of the memorial for Napoleon’s stepson and the Bavarian king’s Max son-in-law Eugène de Beauharnais
Eugène de Beauharnais
Eugène Rose de Beauharnais, Prince Français, Prince of Venice, Viceroy of the Kingdom of Italy, Hereditary Grand Duke of Frankfurt, 1st Duke of Leuchtenberg and 1st Prince of Eichstätt ad personam was the first child and only son of Alexandre, Vicomte de Beauharnais and Joséphine Tascher de la...
, which had been designed by Klenze and was completed by Thorvaldsen. The two genii at the bottom of the monument are by Mayer.
Back in Munich Ernst Mayer continued restoring antique statues, but also created sculptures of his own, e. g. the pediment figures for the Glyptothek building, among them three antique artists representing the crafts that Mayer himself practised: the modeller (Koroplastes), the bronze caster (Statuarius) and the stone sculptor (Glyptos).
In 1830 Mayer became professor for stone sculpting at the polytechnical school in Munich. He married Amailie Burgett (1808–1880) and the couple had three daughters and one son.
Mayer died in Munich at the age of 47 on 21 January 1844 of a skull fracture after a downfall on ice in front of his workshop. His successor at the Polytechnical School was his pupil Johann Halbig
Johann Halbig
Johann Halbig, was a German sculptor of Classicism. He was born at Donnersdorf in Lower Franconia and was educated at the Polytechnical School and at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich...
.
Major works
(see picture gallery)- three large and six small figures in the Glyptothek pediment
- marble bust of Mayer's teacher an employer Bertel Thorvaldsen
- two angels at the bottom of Klenze'/Thorvaldsen's de Beauharmais-tomb
- Thukydides and Homer
- Heine-Memorial in Würzburg
- Marble table at the Walhalla
Further reading
- Söltl, Johann Michael: Der Bildhauer Professor Ernst Mayer in Die bildende Kunst in München, München 1842, S. 469-471 (in German)
(containing the wrong birth year)
- Mayer, Ernst Theodor: Bebildertes Werkverzeichnis des Bildhauers Ernst Mayer (1796–1844), München 2006, Festschrift 2007 (in German)