Wolfgang Franz von Kobell
Encyclopedia
Wolfgang Xavier Franz Baron von Kobell (July 19, 1803 – November 11, 1882) was a German
mineralogist and writer of short stories and poems in Bavarian
dialect.
, Bavaria
and died there. Having studied mineralogy in Landshut
, he became professor of mineralogy in 1826 at the University of Munich, and in 1856 was appointed first curator of the Bavarian state collection of minerals. His greatest contributions were new methods in crystallography. In 1855 he invented the stauroscope for the study of the optical properties of crystal
s. The mineral Kobellite
is named for him.
Besides his work as mineralogist, Kobell is also famous for writing a lot of short stories and poems in the Bavarian
dialect of Upper Bavaria. His best known work is the base for the popular Bavarian theater play Der Brandner Kasper, which tells the story of a blacksmith from Tegernsee, who is visited by the grim reaper and tricks him into drinking and gambling for some further years on earth. This play is televised each year before All Saint's day by the Bavarian Broadcasting Agency (Bayerischer Rundfunk).
Kobell's work shows the true vis comica, and the possession of rich fancy with verisimilitude.
He was the author of numerous scientific papers, and described many new mineral
s.
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...
mineralogist and writer of short stories and poems in Bavarian
Austro-Bavarian
Bavarian , also Austro-Bavarian, is a major group of Upper German varieties spoken in the south east of the German language area.-History and origin:...
dialect.
Biography
He was born in MunichMunich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
and died there. Having studied mineralogy in Landshut
Landshut
Landshut is a city in Bavaria in the south-east of Germany, belonging to both Eastern and Southern Bavaria. Situated on the banks of the River Isar, Landshut is the capital of Lower Bavaria, one of the seven administrative regions of the Free State of Bavaria. It is also the seat of the...
, he became professor of mineralogy in 1826 at the University of Munich, and in 1856 was appointed first curator of the Bavarian state collection of minerals. His greatest contributions were new methods in crystallography. In 1855 he invented the stauroscope for the study of the optical properties of crystal
Crystal
A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are arranged in an orderly repeating pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions. The scientific study of crystals and crystal formation is known as crystallography...
s. The mineral Kobellite
Kobellite
Kobellite is a gray, fibrous, metallic mineral, a sulfide of antimony, bismuth, and lead. It is a member of the izoklakeite - berryite series with silver and iron substituting in the copper site and a vaying ratio of bismuth, antimony, and lead. It crystallizes with orthorhombic dipyramidal crystals...
is named for him.
Besides his work as mineralogist, Kobell is also famous for writing a lot of short stories and poems in the Bavarian
Austro-Bavarian
Bavarian , also Austro-Bavarian, is a major group of Upper German varieties spoken in the south east of the German language area.-History and origin:...
dialect of Upper Bavaria. His best known work is the base for the popular Bavarian theater play Der Brandner Kasper, which tells the story of a blacksmith from Tegernsee, who is visited by the grim reaper and tricks him into drinking and gambling for some further years on earth. This play is televised each year before All Saint's day by the Bavarian Broadcasting Agency (Bayerischer Rundfunk).
Kobell's work shows the true vis comica, and the possession of rich fancy with verisimilitude.
Scientific
- Charakteristik der Mineralien (2 vols. 1830-1831)
- Tafeln zur Bestimmung der Mineralien (1833, and later editions; 12th ed. by K. Oebbeke, 1884; 13th ed. 1893)
- Skizzen aus dem Steinreich (1850)
- Mineralogie: Populäre Vorträge (1862)
- Grundzüge der Mineralogie (1838)
- Galvanographie (1842; 2d ed. 1846), describing a method of his own invention
- Geschichte der Mineralogie von 1650-1860 (1864)
He was the author of numerous scientific papers, and described many new mineral
Mineral
A mineral is a naturally occurring solid chemical substance formed through biogeochemical processes, having characteristic chemical composition, highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties. By comparison, a rock is an aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids and does not...
s.
Dialect
- Schnadahüpfln und Sprüchln (2d ed. 1852)
- Gedichte in pfälzischer Mundart (1839-41)
- Jagd- und Weinlieder (1899)