Karl Böttiger
Encyclopedia
Karl August Böttiger was a German
archaeologist and classicist
, and a prominent member of the literary and artistic circles in Weimar
and Jena
.
Böttiger was educated at Schulpforta and Leipzig
, and under the influence of Johann Gottfried Herder
held for thirteen years a headmastership at Weimar, from 1790 to 1804. For the remaining thirty-one years of his life, he resided at Dresden as director of the Museum of Antiques, and was active as a journalist and public lecturer. As a schoolmaster, he had published a considerable number of pedagogic and philological
programs. In 1810, Böttiger with Swiss painter Heinrich Meyer released a monograph
on the painting in the Vatican
known as the "Aldobrandini
marriage". His archaeological
works, mainly produced at Dresden, fall into three groups:
The first of these is private antiquities, best represented by his "Sabina, or morning-scenes in the dressing-room of a wealthy Roman lady", which was translated into French and served as a model for Wilhelm Adolf Becker
's Gallus and Charicles. The second, the Greek theatre
, which Böttiger had been interested in since his time as a drama critic in Weimar; his unfavorable review of August Wilhelm Schlegel's Ion was withdrawn at the request of Goethe
. It was mainly as a schoolmaster in Weimar that he wrote his papers on the distribution of the parts, on the masks and dresses, and on the machinery of the ancient stage, as well as a dissertation on the masks of the Furies in 1801. Thirdly, he worked in the domain of ancient art and mythology
; his work in this area was popular but, according to some 20th century critics, superficial.
His accomplishments in Dresden led him to be noticed by the court of the Kingdom of Saxony
, and he was the Aulic councilor of the kings of Saxony. Böttiger supplied the descriptive letter-press to the 1797 German edition of Tischbein
's reproductions from William Hamilton
's second collection of Greek vases
, and thus introduced the study of Greek vase-painting into Germany. He published lectures on the history of ancient sculpture in 1806, and painting in 1811, and edited the three volumes of an archaeological periodical called Amalthea from 1820 to 1825, which included contributions from the most eminent classical archaeologists of the day.
His pupil, who edited many of Böttiger's works after his death, was the German classicist
Karl Julius Sillig
.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
archaeologist and classicist
Classics
Classics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...
, and a prominent member of the literary and artistic circles in Weimar
Weimar
Weimar is a city in Germany famous for its cultural heritage. It is located in the federal state of Thuringia , north of the Thüringer Wald, east of Erfurt, and southwest of Halle and Leipzig. Its current population is approximately 65,000. The oldest record of the city dates from the year 899...
and Jena
Jena
Jena is a university city in central Germany on the river Saale. It has a population of approx. 103,000 and is the second largest city in the federal state of Thuringia, after Erfurt.-History:Jena was first mentioned in an 1182 document...
.
Böttiger was educated at Schulpforta and Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, and under the influence of Johann Gottfried Herder
Johann Gottfried Herder
Johann Gottfried von Herder was a German philosopher, theologian, poet, and literary critic. He is associated with the periods of Enlightenment, Sturm und Drang, and Weimar Classicism.-Biography:...
held for thirteen years a headmastership at Weimar, from 1790 to 1804. For the remaining thirty-one years of his life, he resided at Dresden as director of the Museum of Antiques, and was active as a journalist and public lecturer. As a schoolmaster, he had published a considerable number of pedagogic and philological
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
programs. In 1810, Böttiger with Swiss painter Heinrich Meyer released a monograph
Monograph
A monograph is a work of writing upon a single subject, usually by a single author.It is often a scholarly essay or learned treatise, and may be released in the manner of a book or journal article. It is by definition a single document that forms a complete text in itself...
on the painting in the Vatican
Apostolic Palace
The Apostolic Palace is the official residence of the Pope, which is located in Vatican City. It is also known as the Sacred Palace, the Papal Palace and the Palace of the Vatican...
known as the "Aldobrandini
Aldobrandini
The Aldobrandini are an Italian noble family from Florence, with close ties to the Vatican. Its Roman fortunes were made when Ippolito Aldobrandini became pope under the name Pope Clement VIII. He arranged the marriage that linked the Aldobrandini with the Roman family of Pamphili...
marriage". His archaeological
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
works, mainly produced at Dresden, fall into three groups:
The first of these is private antiquities, best represented by his "Sabina, or morning-scenes in the dressing-room of a wealthy Roman lady", which was translated into French and served as a model for Wilhelm Adolf Becker
Wilhelm Adolf Becker
Wilhelm Adolf Becker was a German classical scholar.-Biography:He was born at Dresden, the son of German art historian, numismatist and author Wilhelm Gottlieb Becker. At first destined for a commercial life, he was in 1812 sent to the celebrated school at Pforta. In 1816 he entered the University...
's Gallus and Charicles. The second, the Greek theatre
Theatre of Ancient Greece
The theatre of Ancient Greece, or ancient Greek drama, is a theatrical culture that flourished in ancient Greece between c. 550 and c. 220 BC. The city-state of Athens, which became a significant cultural, political and military power during this period, was its centre, where it was...
, which Böttiger had been interested in since his time as a drama critic in Weimar; his unfavorable review of August Wilhelm Schlegel's Ion was withdrawn at the request of Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German writer, pictorial artist, biologist, theoretical physicist, and polymath. He is considered the supreme genius of modern German literature. His works span the fields of poetry, drama, prose, philosophy, and science. His Faust has been called the greatest long...
. It was mainly as a schoolmaster in Weimar that he wrote his papers on the distribution of the parts, on the masks and dresses, and on the machinery of the ancient stage, as well as a dissertation on the masks of the Furies in 1801. Thirdly, he worked in the domain of ancient art and mythology
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
; his work in this area was popular but, according to some 20th century critics, superficial.
His accomplishments in Dresden led him to be noticed by the court of the Kingdom of Saxony
Kingdom of Saxony
The Kingdom of Saxony , lasting between 1806 and 1918, was an independent member of a number of historical confederacies in Napoleonic through post-Napoleonic Germany. From 1871 it was part of the German Empire. It became a Free state in the era of Weimar Republic in 1918 after the end of World War...
, and he was the Aulic councilor of the kings of Saxony. Böttiger supplied the descriptive letter-press to the 1797 German edition of Tischbein
Tischbein (family)
The Tischbeins were a family of German painters, most notably:*Johann Heinrich Tischbein the Elder, a.k.a. Kasseler Tischbein *Johann Friedrich August Tischbein, a.k.a. Leipziger Tischbein...
's reproductions from William Hamilton
William Hamilton
-Europeans:Politicians and noblemen*William Hamilton, 2nd Duke of Hamilton , Scottish nobleman*William Douglas-Hamilton, Duke of Hamilton , Scottish Nobleman*William Hamilton , Lord Chancellor of England...
's second collection of Greek vases
Pottery of Ancient Greece
As the result of its relative durability, pottery is a large part of the archaeological record of Ancient Greece, and because there is so much of it it has exerted a disproportionately large influence on our understanding of Greek society...
, and thus introduced the study of Greek vase-painting into Germany. He published lectures on the history of ancient sculpture in 1806, and painting in 1811, and edited the three volumes of an archaeological periodical called Amalthea from 1820 to 1825, which included contributions from the most eminent classical archaeologists of the day.
His pupil, who edited many of Böttiger's works after his death, was the German classicist
Classics
Classics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...
Karl Julius Sillig
Karl Julius Sillig
Karl Julius Sillig was a German classics scholar, and pupil of Karl August Böttiger. Sillig went on to edit many of Böttiger's works after the latter's death in 1835. He also revised and edited the work of other scholars, such as Christian Gottlob Heyne...
.