Ferdinand Schlöth: Difference between revisions

His father, Heinrich Ludwig Schlöth, was a locksmith from Berlin. He completed an apprenticeship with his father as a and was employed in his shop for several years. When his father died, in 1839, he took over the workshop and operated it together with his older brother, Friedrich Ludwig. During this time, he also took drawing lessons from {{ill|Hieronymus Hess|de}} and studied modeling with the sculptor, {{ill|Johann Heinrich Neustück|de}}.

From 1843, he studied sculpture in Rome, where he was influenced by [[Bertel Thorvaldsen]]. One of his teachers was probably his fellow Swiss emigrant, {{ill|Heinrich Maximilian Imhof|de}}; with whom he would later develop a hateful rivalry. <ref>Stefan Hess, Tomas Lochman (Eds.): ''Klassische Schönheit und vaterländisches Heldentum. Der Basler Bildhauer Ferdinand Schlöth (1818–1891).'' Basel 2004, {{ISBN|3-905057-20-4}}.</ref> In 1847, he opened his own studio there. In Rome he experienced financial hardships and he often wasn't able to work due to a lack of [[Carrara marble]].<ref name=":1">Stefan Hess, Tomas Lochman (Eds.), p.19</ref> He was living modestly and mainly worked for his clientele from Basel.<ref name=":1" /> He remained in Rome until 1874, when he married the wealthy widow, Emma Müller-Gengenbach, and returned to Switzerland. There, he divided his time between Basel and Lutzenberg. In Lutzenberg, the family owned an estate, which was brought into the marriage by his wife.<ref name=":0">Stefan Hess, Tomas Lochman (Eds.), p.21</ref>

In 1855, he won a competition for a monument honoring [[Arnold von Winkelried]], to be erected in [[Stans]]. It was inaugurated in 1865, and immediately made him one of the most prominent Swiss sculptors.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Hess|first=Stefan|url=https://books.google.ch/books/about/Der_Basler_Bildhauer_Ferdinand_Schl%C3%B6th.html?id=4TfzPgAACAAJ&redir_esc=y|title=Der Basler Bildhauer Ferdinand Schlöth (1818-1891) : klassische Schönheit und vaterländisches Heldentum|date=2004|publisher=Skulpturhalle Basel|year=|isbn=3-905057-20-4|location=|pages=55|language=de}}</ref> This was followed by a monument commemorating the [[Battle of St. Jakob an der Birs]], which was completed in 1872.<ref>{{cite web|title=St. Jakobs Denkmal|periodical=|publisher=|url=https://altbasel.ch/brunnen/st.jakobsdenkmal.html|url-status=|format=|access-date=|archive-url=|archive-date=|last=Altbasel|date=|year=|language=|pages=|quote=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=St. Jakobsdenkmal|periodical=|publisher=|url=https://www.basler-bauten.ch/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=154:st-jakobs-denkmal&catid=49&Itemid=119|url-status=|format=|access-date=|archive-url=|archive-date=|last=Basler Bauten|date=|year=|language=|pages=|quote=}}</ref> The following year, he won another competition, for a monument honoring [[Wilhelm von Tegetthoff]] in Vienna, but the project never came to fruition. He also created a series of busts for the [[Kunstmuseum Basel]]. Most of his works are made of white [[Carrara marble]].

In addition to his sculpting, he took some students; notably [[Richard Kissling]]. In Rome, he influenced the young [[Reinhold Begas]]. Among his later pupils was his nephew, {{ill|Achilles Schlöth|de}}. In Ferdinand Schlöths [[Will and testament|last will]], Achilles was mentioned as the sole heir of his sculpture workshop.<ref name=":0" />