Friedrich Wilhelm Mengelberg
Encyclopedia
Friedrich Wilhelm Mengelberg (1837–1919) was a German-Dutch sculptor, architect of church interiors, and art collector. His work promoted the Gothic Revival architectural-style
in churches throughout Germany and the Netherlands. The Mengelberg family
has a long history of various artists and professional
s.
(1871–1951); some others of their children died young. Mengelberg's parents were Protestant, but when he turned eighteen he converted to Catholicism
, probably influenced by his interest in medieval art
.
training in Cologne
under the sculptor Christoph Stephann (1797–1864). Friedrich (von) Schmidt subsequently instructed him in medieval art
, especially Gothic art
. He set up a studio in Cologne, managed by his younger brother Otto, but he left the studio to his brother Otto and moved to Aachen
in about 1865. Mengelberg then became acquainted with the theologian and historian of ancient art Franz Johann Joseph Bock
(1823–1899), who took him under his wing and further educated him in medieval art.
Through Bock's mediation, Mengelberg received a commission in 1868 to construct a a bishop's throne
for the Roman Catholic Saint Catherine's Cathedral in Utrecht. It was so well-received by the church authorities that Mengelberg was invited to settle in Utrecht
to build church furniture. He moved there in 1872, and became interested in the neo-Gothic art of the Netherlands. Mengelberg helped finish the interiors of Saint Catherine's Cathedral and Willibrord Church.
Mengelberg worked closely with Dutch architects Pierre Cuypers
and Alfred Tepe
, from whom he learnt more about artistic techniques. In 1869 he became a member of the St. Bemulphus guild
founded by Gerardus Wilhelminus van Heukelum, a Utrecht group of Catholic clergy and artists working to bring back the traditions and craftmanship in religious art and architecture. Mengelberg became the most prominent member of the guild and set up a workshop studio, a closed society of specialized artists employing Gothic principles and techniques to produce items sold to the clergy. By the late 19th century Mengelberg's studio was employing more than 30 artists, designing and building items for church interiors such as organ fronts, communion pews
, pulpit
s, altar
s, confessional
s, and Stations of the Cross
.
By the end of the 19th century there were many workshops producing church art, and competition between them was often intense. But Mengelberg was confident that his studio could always produce quality items equal to or better than his competitors, supported by a fairly clear artistic doctrine in his studio and the artists' dedication. After his death the studio continued under the control of two of his sons, Joseph and Hans.
Mengelberg's collection of art works was sold after his death by Jan Herman van Heek
, a descendant of the well-known van Heek textile family. It formed the core of the Huis Bergh
's art collection.
Mengelberg built church furniture and other interior items for the following churches.
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
in churches throughout Germany and the Netherlands. The Mengelberg family
Mengelberg
Mengelberg:*Augustin Mengelberg , abbot of Kloster Heisterbach*Egidius Mengelberg , German portrayer*Friedrich Wilhelm Mengelberg, , German-Dutch sculptor, grandson of Egidius Mengelberg...
has a long history of various artists and professional
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
s.
Family members and early life
Mengelberg parents were Johann Egidius Mengelberg and Catharina Wilhelmina Leiniger. His grandfather Egidius Mengelberg (1770–1849) was a well-known painter, as was his uncle, Otto Heinrich (1817–1890). On 18 October 1866 Mengelberg married Wilhelmina Helen Schrattenholz, and together they had sixteen children – eight sons and eight daughters – including the conductor Willem MengelbergWillem Mengelberg
Joseph Willem Mengelberg was a Dutch conductor, famous for his performances of Mahler and Strauss with the Concertgebouw Orchestra.- Biography :...
(1871–1951); some others of their children died young. Mengelberg's parents were Protestant, but when he turned eighteen he converted to Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
, probably influenced by his interest in medieval art
Medieval art
The medieval art of the Western world covers a vast scope of time and place, over 1000 years of art history in Europe, and at times the Middle East and North Africa...
.
Career
Mengelberg came from a family of artists. He began his Neoclassical architectureNeoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
training in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
under the sculptor Christoph Stephann (1797–1864). Friedrich (von) Schmidt subsequently instructed him in medieval art
Medieval art
The medieval art of the Western world covers a vast scope of time and place, over 1000 years of art history in Europe, and at times the Middle East and North Africa...
, especially Gothic art
Gothic art
Gothic art was a Medieval art movement that developed in France out of Romanesque art in the mid-12th century, led by the concurrent development of Gothic architecture. It spread to all of Western Europe, but took over art more completely north of the Alps, never quite effacing more classical...
. He set up a studio in Cologne, managed by his younger brother Otto, but he left the studio to his brother Otto and moved to Aachen
Aachen
Aachen has historically been a spa town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Aachen was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the Kings of Germany. Geographically, Aachen is the westernmost town of Germany, located along its borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, ...
in about 1865. Mengelberg then became acquainted with the theologian and historian of ancient art Franz Johann Joseph Bock
Franz Johann Joseph Bock
Franz Johann Joseph Bock was a German theologian, archaeologist, and art historian.- Early life :Bock was born in the town of Burtscheid on March 5, 1823. He was the son of Franz Joseph Bock Burtscheider , who was a lifeguard. His mother, Agnes Dotru, died when Bock was a young child...
(1823–1899), who took him under his wing and further educated him in medieval art.
Through Bock's mediation, Mengelberg received a commission in 1868 to construct a a bishop's throne
Cathedra
A cathedra or bishop's throne is the chair or throne of a bishop. It is a symbol of the bishop's teaching authority in the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, and has in some sense remained such in the Anglican Communion and in Lutheran churches...
for the Roman Catholic Saint Catherine's Cathedral in Utrecht. It was so well-received by the church authorities that Mengelberg was invited to settle in Utrecht
Utrecht
Utrecht is a city in the Netherlands.The name may also refer to:* Utrecht , of which Utrecht is the capital* Utrecht , including the city of Utrecht* Bishopric of Utrecht* Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Utrecht...
to build church furniture. He moved there in 1872, and became interested in the neo-Gothic art of the Netherlands. Mengelberg helped finish the interiors of Saint Catherine's Cathedral and Willibrord Church.
Mengelberg worked closely with Dutch architects Pierre Cuypers
Pierre Cuypers
Petrus Josephus Hubertus Cuypers was a Dutch architect. His name is most frequently associated with the Amsterdam Central Station and the Rijksmuseum , both in Amsterdam. More representative for his oeuvre, however, are numerous churches, of which he designed more than 100...
and Alfred Tepe
Wilhelm Victor Alfred Tepe
Wilhelm Victor Alfred Tepe was a Dutch architect. He is considered one of the most important and influential representatives of Gothic Revival architecture in the Netherlands during the 19th century. He designed and built many churches as well as other buildings, especially in the territory of...
, from whom he learnt more about artistic techniques. In 1869 he became a member of the St. Bemulphus guild
Guild of St. Bernulphus
The St. Bernulphusgilde or Guild of St. Bernulphus was a Dutch secret society / trade union Catholic association established on December 1, 1869. Its intention initially was to protect national traditions of old craftmanship in religious art and church architecture...
founded by Gerardus Wilhelminus van Heukelum, a Utrecht group of Catholic clergy and artists working to bring back the traditions and craftmanship in religious art and architecture. Mengelberg became the most prominent member of the guild and set up a workshop studio, a closed society of specialized artists employing Gothic principles and techniques to produce items sold to the clergy. By the late 19th century Mengelberg's studio was employing more than 30 artists, designing and building items for church interiors such as organ fronts, communion pews
Pew
A pew is a long bench seat or enclosed box used for seating members of a congregation or choir in a church, or sometimes in a courtroom.-Overview:Churches were not commonly furnished with permanent pews before the Protestant Reformation...
, pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
s, altar
Altar
An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
s, confessional
Confessional
A confessional is a small, enclosed booth used for the Sacrament of Penance, often called confession, or Reconciliation. It is the usual venue for the sacrament in the Roman Catholic Church, but similar structures are also used in Anglican churches of an Anglo-Catholic orientation, and also in the...
s, and Stations of the Cross
Stations of the Cross
Stations of the Cross refers to the depiction of the final hours of Jesus, and the devotion commemorating the Passion. The tradition as chapel devotion began with St...
.
By the end of the 19th century there were many workshops producing church art, and competition between them was often intense. But Mengelberg was confident that his studio could always produce quality items equal to or better than his competitors, supported by a fairly clear artistic doctrine in his studio and the artists' dedication. After his death the studio continued under the control of two of his sons, Joseph and Hans.
Mengelberg's collection of art works was sold after his death by Jan Herman van Heek
Jan Herman van Heek
Jan Herman van Heek was a Dutch industrialist, textile manufacturer, patron of the arts, art collector and nature conservationist....
, a descendant of the well-known van Heek textile family. It formed the core of the Huis Bergh
Huis Bergh
Huis Bergh is a castle in 's-Heerenberg and is one of the largest castles in the Netherlands. It gives its name to the Land van den Bergh and was previously owned by the counts van Bergh.-History:...
's art collection.
Church interiors from Mengelberg studios
- Cologne CathedralCologne CathedralCologne Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church in Cologne, Germany. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and the administration of the Archdiocese of Cologne. It is renowned monument of German Catholicism and Gothic architecture and is a World Heritage Site...
, Cologne, Germany - Saint Willibrord Church in Utrecht
- St. Nicholas Basilica in IJsselstein
- The Chalk Mountain in Amsterdam
- St. Joseph Cathedral in Groningen
- H. Exaltation to Raalte
- St. Michael Church in Schalkwijk
- St. Joseph Church in Enschede
- St. Mary's in Apeldoorn
- St. Vitus Church in Hilversum
- St. Ludgeruskerk to Balk
- St. Michael Church in Harlingen
- St. Werenfridus Church in Workum
- Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption in Zwolle
- St. Nicholas Church in Jutphaas
- Pancratiuskerk in 's-Heerenberg
Sources
- BWN, Biographical Dictionary of the Netherlands, second version, The Hague, 1985, publisher: ’s-Gravenhage : Nijhoff, ISBN: 9010055019 (Dutch)
-
- Charité, J., and Ivo Schöffer. Biografisch woordenboek van Nederland. 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff, 1979.
- Newberry Library call number: Ref CT 1143 .B56 The Newberry Library, Chicago, Il 60610