Reinhard Kekulé von Stradonitz
Encyclopedia
Reinhard Kekulé von Stradonitz, (name at birth Kekulé, called Kekulé von Stradonitz only after 1889) (1839 in Darmstadt
, Germany – 1911 in Berlin?. Germany) has been called the founder of modern iconology (Langlotz).
He served as director of the collection of antique sculpture and vases at the Berlin Museum (1889-?) and also as the director of the antiquarium of the Berlin Museum (1896-?). Kekulé was the nephew of the famous organic chemist Friedrich August Kekulé von Stradonitz
(1829–1896). Kekulé studied at the universities of Erlangen
under Karl Friedrichs, and at Berlin under Eduard Gerhard, Johann Gustav Droysen
(1808–1884), and August Böckh (1785–1867). His time in Rome with Enrico Brunn
was quite influential for his later writing. In 1870 he succeeded Otto Jahn
, who had died prematurely, at the University of Bonn
. His 1879 habilitation was written under Adolf Furtwängler
. In 1889 Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany personally requested Kekulé to be the antiquities director of the collections in Berlin. In the following year he succeeded Carl Robert at the university in Berlin which he held jointly with the directorship. It was then that the emperor allowed the "von Stradonitz" designation. Kekulé greatly increased the size of the imperial collections through a combination of astute buying and commissioning excavations, assisted in the latter by Theodor Wiegand
. Kekulé was a prominent lecturer though his writings are tinged with what today appear as superficial comments. His students included Hermann Ulmann and Ulrich von Wilamowitz-Moellendorff
(1848–1931).
He eschewed Jahn's "monumental philology" and classification for a methodology closer to Brunn, mixed with an esthetic sensitivity akin to J. J. Winckelmann. His connoisseurship, more than Winckelmann's, was rooted in scholarship.
Darmstadt
Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine Main Area.The sandy soils in the Darmstadt area, ill-suited for agriculture in times before industrial fertilisation, prevented any larger settlement from developing, until the city became the seat...
, Germany – 1911 in Berlin?. Germany) has been called the founder of modern iconology (Langlotz).
He served as director of the collection of antique sculpture and vases at the Berlin Museum (1889-?) and also as the director of the antiquarium of the Berlin Museum (1896-?). Kekulé was the nephew of the famous organic chemist Friedrich August Kekulé von Stradonitz
Friedrich August Kekulé von Stradonitz
Friedrich August Kekule von Stradonitz was a German organic chemist. From the 1850s until his death, Kekule was one of the most prominent chemists in Europe, especially in theoretical chemistry...
(1829–1896). Kekulé studied at the universities of Erlangen
Erlangen
Erlangen is a Middle Franconian city in Bavaria, Germany. It is located at the confluence of the river Regnitz and its large tributary, the Untere Schwabach.Erlangen has more than 100,000 inhabitants....
under Karl Friedrichs, and at Berlin under Eduard Gerhard, Johann Gustav Droysen
Johann Gustav Droysen
Johann Gustav Droysen was a German historian. His history of Alexander the Great was the first work representing a new school of German historical thought that idealized power held by so-called "great" men...
(1808–1884), and August Böckh (1785–1867). His time in Rome with Enrico Brunn
Heinrich Brunn
Heinrich Brunn was a German archaeologist.Brunn studied archaeology and philology in Bonn. In 1843 he received his doctorate degree with the work Artificum liberae Graeciae tempora and moved to Italy. He worked at the German Archaeological Institute in Rome until 1853...
was quite influential for his later writing. In 1870 he succeeded Otto Jahn
Otto Jahn
Otto Jahn , was a German archaeologist, philologist, and writer on art and music.He was born at Kiel...
, who had died prematurely, at the University of Bonn
University of Bonn
The University of Bonn is a public research university located in Bonn, Germany. Founded in its present form in 1818, as the linear successor of earlier academic institutions, the University of Bonn is today one of the leading universities in Germany. The University of Bonn offers a large number...
. His 1879 habilitation was written under Adolf Furtwängler
Adolf Furtwängler
Adolf Furtwängler was a famous German archaeologist, teacher, art historian and museum director. He was the father of the conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler and grandfather of the German archaeologist Andreas Furtwängler....
. In 1889 Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany personally requested Kekulé to be the antiquities director of the collections in Berlin. In the following year he succeeded Carl Robert at the university in Berlin which he held jointly with the directorship. It was then that the emperor allowed the "von Stradonitz" designation. Kekulé greatly increased the size of the imperial collections through a combination of astute buying and commissioning excavations, assisted in the latter by Theodor Wiegand
Theodor Wiegand
Theodor Wiegand was one of the most famous German archaeologists.Wiegand was born in Bendorf, Rhenish Prussia. He studied at Munich, Berlin, and Freiburg. In 1894 he worked under Wilhelm Dörpfeld at the excavation of the Athenian Acropolis...
. Kekulé was a prominent lecturer though his writings are tinged with what today appear as superficial comments. His students included Hermann Ulmann and Ulrich von Wilamowitz-Moellendorff
Ulrich von Wilamowitz-Moellendorff
Enno Friedrich Wichard Ulrich von Wilamowitz-Moellendorff was a German Classical Philologist. Wilamowitz, as he is known in scholarly circles, was a renowned authority on Ancient Greece and its literature.- Youth :...
(1848–1931).
He eschewed Jahn's "monumental philology" and classification for a methodology closer to Brunn, mixed with an esthetic sensitivity akin to J. J. Winckelmann. His connoisseurship, more than Winckelmann's, was rooted in scholarship.
Biography
- Schiering, W. "Kekulé von Stradonitz, Reinhard." Archäologenbildnisse: Porträts und Kurzbiographien von Klassichen Archäologen deutscher Sprache. Reinhard Lullies, ed. Mainz am Rhein: Verlag Philipp von Zabern, 1988, pp. 73–74.
- Calder, William, III. "Kekulé von Stradonitz, Reinhard (1839–1911)." Encyclopedia of the History of Classical Archaeology. Nancy Thomson de Grummond, ed. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1996, vol. 1, pp. 632–33.
- Langlotz, E. 150 Jahre Reinische Friedich-Wilhelms-Universität zu Bonn 1818–1968. Bonn: Friedich-Wilhelms-Universität, 1968, pp. 227–32.