Hans Gieng (first mentioned 1525 – died 1562) was a
Swiss Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history
The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...
sculptor
Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
best known for his public
fountain
A fountain, from the Latin "fons" (genitive "fontis"), meaning source or spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect.
Fountains were ori ...
figures in the
Old Town of
Bern as well as
Fribourg
, neighboring_municipalities= Düdingen, Givisiez, Granges-Paccot, Marly, Pierrafortscha, Sankt Ursen, Tafers, Villars-sur-Glâne
, twintowns = Rueil-Malmaison (France)
, website = www.ville-fribourg.ch
, Location of , Location of ()
() ...
.
Biography
Gieng, who was probably of
Swabian origin, is recorded to have become a citizen of Fribourg and a member of the traders' guild in 1527. He likely first worked in the sculpture workshop of
Hans Geiler, whom he succeeded in 1533. In earlier centuries, Geiler and Gieng were sometimes confused with one another, but modern research indicates that they were actually two distinct persons.
As a sculptor, Gieng was mainly active in Fribourg. He also worked in
Bern in the 1540s, in
Solothurn
Solothurn ( , ; french: Soleure ; it, Soletta ; rm, ) is a town, a municipality, and the capital of the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland. It is located in the north-west of Switzerland on the banks of the Aare and on the foot of the Weissens ...
from 1554–56, and in 1557 in
St. Gallen
, neighboring_municipalities = Eggersriet, Gaiserwald, Gossau, Herisau (AR), Mörschwil, Speicher (AR), Stein (AR), Teufen (AR), Untereggen, Wittenbach
, twintowns = Liberec (Czech Republic)
, website = ...
.
Works
Gieng's style is close to Swabian art: traditional and still in the style of
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 ...
in his religious creations, but forceful and realistic in the secular works.
Freiburg
In Freiburg, the Renaissance council table (1546) and the figures of the seven public
fountain
A fountain, from the Latin "fons" (genitive "fontis"), meaning source or spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect.
Fountains were ori ...
s (1547–60), considered the most significant ensemble of sculptural art from this period in Switzerland, are among his principal works.
Bern
Gieng created several if not most of the public fountains of Bern that were put up between 1542 and 1546. His presence in the city is sparsely attested in the surviving record: a 1543 Council diary entry reports a ''“Meyster Hans, Bildhower, im grossen Spital z'Herbrig sin und an des spittelmeisters tisch ässen”'' (“Master Hans, sculptor, residing in the great
Hospital and eating at the Spitalmaster's table”).
For this reason, his authorship of the individual fountain figures, which are unsigned, has long been a matter of dispute.
Paul Schenk
Paul (Edmund) Schenk (11 February 1899 – 30 August 1977) was a German music theorist.
Life
Born in Leipzig, Schenk studied theory, composition and conducting at the University of Music and Theatre Leipzig, where he also received a teaching ...
's seminal work of 1945, ''Berner Brunnen-Chronik'' (Bernese Fountain Chronicle) attributes three fountains to Gieng with certainty—the ''Pfeiferbrunnen'' (
piper
Piper may refer to:
People
* Piper (given name)
* Piper (surname)
Arts and entertainment Fictional characters Comics
* Piper (Morlock), in the Marvel Universe
* Piper (Mutate), in the Marvel Universe
Television
* Piper Chapman, lea ...
fountain), the ''Kindlifresserbrunnen'' (
ogre
An ogre (feminine: ogress) is a legendary monster depicted as a large, hideous, man-like being that eats ordinary human beings, especially infants and children. Ogres frequently feature in mythology, folklore, and fiction throughout the world ...
fountain) and the ''Simsonbrunnen'' (
Samson
Samson (; , '' he, Šīmšōn, label= none'', "man of the sun") was the last of the judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Book of Judges (chapters 13 to 16) and one of the last leaders who "judged" Israel before the institution o ...
fountain)—while considering it "quite possible" that Gieng also created the other wells. Later works such as
Paul Hofer
Paul Hofer (born May 13, 1952 in Memphis, Tennessee) is a former professional American football player who played running back for six seasons in the NFL. He was a part of the San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the S ...
's ''Kunstdenkmäler des Kantons Bern'' of 1952 or
Berchtold Weber's ''Historisch-topographisches Lexikon der Stadt Bern'' of 1976 are virtually certain of Gieng's authorship of most Bernese fountains.
Other works
Other works attributed to Gieng include monumental
crucifix
A crucifix (from Latin ''cruci fixus'' meaning "(one) fixed to a cross") is a cross with an image of Jesus on it, as distinct from a bare cross. The representation of Jesus himself on the cross is referred to in English as the ''corpus'' (Lati ...
es, stonework in the church of
Tafers
Tafers (french: Tavel ; frp, Tavél ) is a municipality in the district of Sense in the canton of Fribourg in Switzerland. It is one of the municipalities with a large majority of German speakers in the mostly French speaking Canton of Fribour ...
, statues, tombstones, and heraldic motifs.
See also
*
Old Town of Berne
The Old City (german: Altstadt) is the medieval city center of Bern, Switzerland. Built on a narrow hill bordered on three sides by the river Aare, its compact layout has remained essentially unchanged since its construction during the twelfth ...
References
*
Hans Gieng, Bildhauero
g26.cho
g26.ch
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gieng, Hans
Swiss sculptors
1562 deaths
Year of birth unknown
Male sculptors
Swiss male artists