Friedrich Wilhelm Mengelberg (1837–1919) was a German-Dutch sculptor, architect of church interiors, and art collector.BWN, pp. 389–391 His work promoted the Gothic Revival architectural-style in churches throughout Germany and the Netherlands. The Mengelberg family has a long history of various artists and professionals.

Family members and early life

Mengelberg's parents were Johann Egidius Mengelberg and Catharina Wilhelmina Leiniger. His grandfather Egidius Mengelberg (1770–1849) was a well-known painter, as was his uncle, Otto Mengelberg (1817–1890). On 18 October 1866 Mengelberg married Wilhelmina Helen Schrattenholz, and together they had sixteen children – eight sons and eight daughters – including the conductor

Willem Mengelberg Joseph Wilhelm Mengelberg (28 March 1871 – 21 March 1951) was a Dutch conductor, famous for his performances of Beethoven, Brahms, Mahler and Strauss with the Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest s ...

(1871–1951); some of their children died young. Mengelberg's parents were

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

, but when he turned eighteen he converted to

Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, probably influenced by his interest in

medieval art The medieval art of the Western world covers a vast scope of time and place, over 1000 years of art in Europe, and at certain periods in Western Asia and Northern Africa. It includes major art movements and periods, national and regional art, gen ...

.Huygens Institute for Dutch History
/ref>Sculptor Mengelberg
/ref>

Career

Mengelberg came from a family of artists. He began his

Neoclassical architecture Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...

training in

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

under the sculptor Christoph Stephann (1797–1864). Friedrich (von) Schmidt subsequently instructed him in

, especially

Gothic art Gothic art was a style of medieval art that developed in Northern France out of Romanesque art in the 12th century AD, led by the concurrent development of Gothic architecture. It spread to all of Western Europe, and much of Northern, Southern and ...

. He set up a studio in Cologne, managed by his younger brother Otto, but he left the studio to his brother Otto and moved to

Aachen Aachen ( ; ; Aachen dialect: ''Oche'' ; French and traditional English: Aix-la-Chapelle; or ''Aquisgranum''; nl, Aken ; Polish: Akwizgran) is, with around 249,000 inhabitants, the 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, and the 28th- ...

in about 1865. Mengelberg then became acquainted with the theologian and historian of ancient art Franz Johann Joseph Bock (1823–1899), who took him under his wing and further educated him in medieval art. Through Bock's mediation, Mengelberg received a commission in 1868 to construct a

bishop's throne A ''cathedra'' is the podium, raised throne of a bishop in the early Christian basilica (architecture), basilica. When used with this meaning, it may also be called the bishop's throne. With time, the related term ''cathedral'' became synonymo ...

for the Roman Catholic Saint Catherine's Cathedral in Utrecht. It was so well received by the church authorities that Mengelberg was invited to settle in

Utrecht Utrecht ( , , ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city and a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, pro ...

to build church furniture. He moved there in 1872, and became interested in the neo-Gothic art of the Netherlands. Mengelberg helped finish the interiors of Saint Catherine's Cathedral and Willibrord Church. Mengelberg worked closely with Dutch architects

Pierre Cuypers Petrus Josephus Hubertus "Pierre" Cuypers (16 May 1827 – 3 March 1921) was a Dutch architect. His name is most frequently associated with the Amsterdam Central Station (1881–1889) and the Rijksmuseum (1876–1885), both in Amsterdam. M ...

and Alfred Tepe, from whom he learnt more about artistic techniques. In 1869 he became a member of the St. Bemulphus guild founded by Gerardus Wilhelminus van Heukelum, a Utrecht group of Catholic clergy and artists working to bring back the traditions and craftmanship in religious art and architecture.Generation X – The Legacy of Johannes Anthonius
/ref> Mengelberg became the most prominent member of the guild and set up a workshop studio, a closed society of specialized artists employing Gothic principles and techniques to produce items sold to the clergy. By the late 19th century Mengelberg's studio was employing more than 30 artists, designing and building items for church interiors such as organ fronts, communion pews,

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, access ...

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...

confessional A confessional is a box, cabinet, booth, or stall in which the priest in some Christian churches sits to hear the confessions of penitents. It is the usual venue for the sacrament in the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran Churches, but sim ...

s, and

Stations of the Cross The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and accompanying prayers. The station ...

. By the end of the 19th century there were many workshops producing church art, and competition between them was often intense. But Mengelberg was confident that his studio could always produce quality items equal to or better than his competitors, supported by a fairly clear artistic doctrine in his studio and the artists' dedication. After his death the studio continued under the control of two of his sons, Joseph and Hans. Mengelberg's collection of art works was sold after his death by

Jan Herman van Heek Jan Herman van Heek ( Enschede, 20 October 1873 – Doetinchem, 25 January 1957) was a Dutch industrialist, textile manufacturer, patron of the arts, art collector and nature conservationist and owner of Huis Bergh Huis Bergh is a castle in ...

, a descendant of the well-known van Heek textile family. It formed the core of the

Huis Bergh Huis Bergh is a castle in 's-Heerenberg and is one of the largest castles in the Netherlands. It gives its name to the Land van den Bergh and was previously owned by the counts van Bergh. Nowadays, it is a famous tourist attraction for its be ...

's art collection.

Church interiors from Mengelberg studios

Mengelberg built church furniture and other interior items for the following churches. *

Cologne Cathedral Cologne Cathedral (german: Kölner Dom, officially ', English: Cathedral Church of Saint Peter) is a Catholic cathedral in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and of the administration of the Archdiocese of ...

, Cologne, Germany *Saint Willibrord's Church in Utrecht *St. Nicholas' Basilica in IJsselstein *The Chalk Mountain in Amsterdam *St. Joseph's Cathedral in Groningen *H. Exaltation to Raalte *St. Michael's Church in Schalkwijk *St. Joseph's Church in Enschede *St. Mary's Church in Apeldoorn *St. Vitus' Church in Hilversum *St. Ludgeruskerk in Balk *St. Michael's Church in Harlingen *St. Werenfridus' Church in Workum *Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption in Zwolle *St. Nicholas' Church in Jutphaas *Pancratiuskerk in 's-Heerenberg *St.Mariä Rosenkranz(Moenchengladbach-Eicken/Germany)

References

Sources

* BWN, Biographical Dictionary of the Netherlands, second version, The Hague, 1985, publisher: ’s-Gravenhage : Nijhoff, (Dutch) ::Charité, J., and Ivo Schöffer. Biografisch woordenboek van Nederland. 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff, 1979. ::Newberry Library call number: Ref CT 1143 .B5
The Newberry Library, Chicago, Il 60610
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mengelberg, Friedrich Wilhelm 1837 births 1919 deaths Dutch sculptors Dutch male sculptors Artists from Cologne Catholic decorative artists 20th-century German sculptors 20th-century German male artists 19th-century German sculptors German male sculptors Friedrich Wilhelm Architects from Cologne Catholic sculptors