Ernst Zacharias Platner (1 October 1773,

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...

- 14 October 1855,

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

) was a German painter, writer, and diplomat.

Biography

His father was the physician,

Ernst Platner Ernst Platner (; ; 11 June 1744 – 27 December 1818) was a German anthropologist, physician and RationalistFrederick Beiser, ''The Fate of Reason: German Philosophy from Kant to Fichte'', Harvard University Press, 2009, p. 214. philosopher, ...

. He began studying art in Leipzig, with

Adam Friedrich Oeser Adam Friedrich Oeser (17 February 1717 in Pressburg – 18 March 1799 in Leipzig) was a German etcher, painter and sculptor. Biography Oeser worked and studied in Pressburg (student of Georg Raphael Donner in sculpture) and Vienna at the ...

, then went to Dresden, followed by Vienna, where he studied with

Heinrich Friedrich Füger Heinrich may refer to: People * Heinrich (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Heinrich (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) *Hetty (given name), a given name (including a list of peo ...

. In 1800, he moved to Rome, and settled there permanently. His first works were not very successful, so he devoted some of his time to studying Italian history. In the winter of 1817/1818, the publisher

Johann Friedrich Cotta Johann Friedrich, Freiherr Cotta von Cottendorf (April 27, 1764 – December 29, 1832) was a German publisher, industrial pioneer and politician. Ancestors Cotta is the name of a family of German publishers, intimately connected with the his ...

paid a visit to Rome. On the recommendation of the Prussian ambassador,

Barthold Georg Niebuhr Barthold Georg Niebuhr (27 August 1776 – 2 January 1831) was a Danish–German statesman, banker, and historian who became Germany's leading historian of Ancient Rome and a founding father of modern scholarly historiography. By 1810 Niebuhr wa ...

, he gave Platner a commission to rework a book about Italy, by . Together with

Christian Karl Josias von Bunsen Christian Charles or Karl Josias von Bunsen (25 August 1791 – 28 November 1860), also known as , was a German diplomat and scholar. Life Early life Bunsen was born at Korbach, an old town in the German principality of Waldeck. His fath ...

, and several other specialists, he produced what is now a standard work, ''Description of the City of Rome'', in two volumes. He also published a biography of the painter,

Gottlieb Schick Christian Gottlieb Schick (15 August 1776 – 7 May 1812) was a German Neoclassical painter. His history paintings, portraits, and landscapes are characterized by romantic tendencies. Of these, he is best known for his portraits. Life and w ...

, which was reprinted in 2010. From 1823 until his death, he held the office of

Chargé d'Affaires A ''chargé d'affaires'' (), plural ''chargés d'affaires'', often shortened to ''chargé'' (French) and sometimes in colloquial English to ''charge-D'', is a diplomat who serves as an embassy's chief of mission in the absence of the ambassador ...

for the

Kingdom of Saxony The Kingdom of Saxony (german: Königreich Sachsen), lasting from 1806 to 1918, was an independent member of a number of historical confederacies in Napoleonic through post-Napoleonic Germany. The kingdom was formed from the Electorate of Saxon ...

, at the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...

. When Pope

Pius IX Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...

had to flee Rome in 1849, following the establishment of the short-lived

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Kin ...

, revolutionaries came to Platner's home and tore down the Papal flag. Platner immediately took down the Saxon flag, declaring: "His Majesty the King accredited me to His Holiness, but not to you!”. The

Academy of Fine Arts, Munich The Academy of Fine Arts, Munich (german: Akademie der Bildenden Künste München, also known as Munich Academy) is one of the oldest and most significant art academies in Germany. It is located in the Maxvorstadt district of Munich, in Bavaria, ...

, and the

Dresden Academy of Fine Arts The Dresden Academy of Fine Arts (German ''Hochschule für Bildende Künste Dresden''), often abbreviated HfBK Dresden or simply HfBK, is a vocational university of visual arts located in Dresden, Germany. The present institution is the product o ...

, both named him an honorary member. In 1838, he was presented with an honorary doctorate by the

University of Leipzig Leipzig University (german: Universität Leipzig), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 Decemb ...

. He was interred at the

Teutonic Cemetery The Teutonic Cemetery ( it, Cimitero Teutonico, "Camposanto of the Teutons and the Flemish") is a burial site adjacent to St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. Burial is reserved for members of the Confraternity of Our Lady of the German Cemeter ...

. His only son, Ferdinand (1824–1896), was also a painter. Gertrud, one of his five daughters, married the painter,

Alexander Maximilian Seitz Alexander Maximilian Seitz (1811-1888) was a German painter. Life and work Seitz studied under Peter von Cornelius, and two early pictures, ''Joseph sold by his Brethren'' and the ''Seven Sleepers'', received speedy recognition. Heinrich Maria ...

. Their son,

Ludovico Ludovico () is an Italian masculine given name. It is sometimes spelled Lodovico. The feminine equivalent is Ludovica. Persons with the name Ludovico Given name * Ludovico D'Aragona (1876–1961), Italian socialist politician * Ludovico Ariosto ...

, later became Director of the

Pinacoteca Vaticana The Vatican Museums ( it, Musei Vaticani; la, Musea Vaticana) are the public museums of the Vatican City. They display works from the immense collection amassed by the Catholic Church and the papacy throughout the centuries, including several of ...

References

External links

* Ernst Zacharias Platner: ''Beschreibung der Stadt Rom.'' Vol.1, 1829
(Online)
* Ernst Zacharias Platner: ''Beschreibung der Stadt Rom.'' Vol.2, 1834

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Platner, Ernst Zacharias 18th-century German painters 18th-century German male artists German male painters 19th-century German painters 19th-century German male artists Artist authors Artists from Leipzig 1773 births 1855 deaths

Biography

References

Further reading

External links