Johann Gottfried Schadow (20 May 1764 – 27 January 1850) was a GermanPrussiansculptor.
His most iconic work is the chariot on top of theBrandenburg Gate in Berlin.
Schadow was born inBerlin, where his father was a poor tailor.
He trained as a sculptor underAntoine Tassaert,[1] who was patronized byFrederick the Great. Taessert offered his daughter in marriage, but the pupil preferred to elope with a Jewish girl, Marianne Devidel inRome[1] and Taessert not only condoned the offense but furnished money for their stay in Italy.[2][3] After he married Devidel in Rome he also won the sculptors prize from theAccademia di San Luca in 1786.[1] Having been influenced by the sculptorAntonio Canova during his stay in Rome he returned to Berlin in 1788 to succeed Tassaert as sculptor[1] to the court and secretary to thePrussian Academy of Arts andRoral Porcelain Factory. Upon his return, his first work was the tomb of the son of the Prussian KingFriedrich Wilhelm II, Alexander von der Mark.[1] Over half a century he produced upwards of two hundred works, varied in style as in subjects.[2]
Among his ambitious efforts are Frederick the Great inStettin,Blücher inRostock andLuther inWittenberg.[2] His portrait statues of Frederick the Great with the dogs and thePrincess Monument Louise and her sister Frederica with the princesses Louise and Federica became very popular.[1] The second one was copied many times illegally which lead to a temporary dispute between his gypsum modeler Beyer and the sculptor in September 1795.[1] His busts, of which there are more than one hundred, include seventeen colossal heads in theWalhalla, Ratisbon;Goethe,Wieland, andFichte were modelled from life.[2]
Of church monuments and memorial works thirty are enumerated; yet Schadow hardly ranks among Christian sculptors. He is claimed by classicists and idealists: thequadriga on theBrandenburger Tor and the allegorical frieze on the facade of the Royal Mint, both in Berlin, are judged among the happiest studies from the antique. Schadow, as director of the Berlin Academy, had great influence. He wrote on the proportions of the human figure, on national physiognomy, etc.; and many volumes by himself and others describe and illustrate his method and his work.[2]
His interest in physiognomy is documented by the drawing he made ofHarry Maitey, the first Hawaiian in Prussia.
Today, some of his sculptures and busts are displayed in theFriedrichswerdersche Kirche and theAlte Nationalgalerie in Berlin.
Schadow developed a friendship with Johann Wolfgang von Goethe when at first Goethe's son visited Schadow in Weimar. Schadow created 12 bronze medals of Goethe. One such medal is in the property of theBritish Museum.[4]
He died in Berlin in 1850. His sonsRudolph andFriedrich Wilhelm were notable for sculpture and painting, respectively. He was the grandfather of admiralFelix von Bendemann of theGerman Imperial Navy.[5]
He was uncle to the sculptorEmil Wolff.
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Atkinson, Joseph Beavington (1911). "Schadow". InChisholm, Hugh (ed.).Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 24 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 310.
Media related toJohann Gottfried Schadow at Wikimedia Commons