Karl Stauffer, known asKarl Stauffer-Bern (2 September 1857,Trubschachen – 24 January 1891,Florence) was a Swiss painter, etcher and sculptor.
His father was acurate and pastor inBern. He studied at theAcademy of Fine Arts, Munich underFeodor Dietz andLudwig von Löfftz.[1] Later, he worked in Berlin as a portrait painter, where he had many notable people as subjects. Then, he studied etching and engraving withPeter Halm. He was also a teacher at the Berlin School for Women Artists,[2] where his students includedKäthe Kollwitz,Hedwig Weiß andClara Siewert.
In 1888, under the sponsorship of his patrons, the Welti family, he went to Rome to study sculpture. While there, he began an affair withLydia Welti-Escher,[2] daughter ofAlfred Escher (railway magnate and co-founder ofCredit Suisse) and wife ofFriedrich Emil Welti, whose father wasEmil Welti (a powerful government minister). The affair turned to love and a divorce from Welti was proposed, but he contacted the Swiss Embassy in Rome and used his considerable influence to separate them. Lydia was placed in an insane asylum and Karl was jailed after being charged with kidnapping and rape.[1] In May 1890, a full psychiatric report showed no sign of mental illness and she was released. His release followed in June, due to lack of evidence. She was returned to her husband, although she soon filed for a divorce, which was eventually granted.
In a state of despondency over the loss of his love, he suffered a nervous breakdown and spent some time in theSan Bonifazio mental hospital [it]. After his release, he attempted suicide by gun. The shot barely missed his heart and left him permanently injured.[2] In January 1891, unable to work and apparently suffering frompersecution mania, he committed suicide with an overdose ofchloral hydrate.[1] Lydia's suicide by gas followed that December.
Thetone poemAn Alpine Symphony byRichard Strauss (1915), was originally conceived as a musical portrait of Stauffer-Bern,[3] although Strauss later denied that there were any direct biographical references..
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