Heinrich Max Imhof (14 May 1795 or 1798, Bürglen - 4 May 1869,

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 Swiss sculptor, in the Classical style. Max may be short for either "Maximilian" or "Maximus".

Biography

He was born to a family of tenant farmers and grew up in simple circumstances, but displayed an early talent for drawing. In 1811, he convinced his parents to let him serve an apprenticeship with the wood sculptor, , in

Kerns Kerns may refer to: * Plural of Kern * Kerns (surname) * Kerns, Ontario, Canada * Kerns, Portland, Oregon, United States * Kerns, Switzerland, a village and municipality See also * * Kernstown, Virginia, United States ** Battle of Kernsto ...

. He made his first professional wood carvings at the parish church there, in 1814. Four years later the travel writer,

Johann Gottfried Ebel Johann Gottfried Ebel (6 October 1764 – 8 October 1830) was the author of the first real guidebook to Switzerland. Biography He was born at Zullichau (Prussia). He became a medical man, visited Switzerland for the first time in 1790, and b ...

, became aware of his carvings and brought him to

Zürich Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...

, where he worked as a freelance sculptor, making portrait

relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...

s. His clients included the Prussian Crown Prince, Friedrich Wilhelm. In 1820 Ebel provided the means for him to continue his studies in

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...

with

Johann Heinrich von Dannecker Johann Heinrich von Dannecker (October 16, 1758 in StuttgartDecember 8, 1841 in Stuttgart) was a German sculptor. Biography He was the third of five children of Georg Dannecker (1718–1786), a coachman of the nobleman Charles Alexander, Duke ...

, then financed his first study trip to Rome. There, he familiarized himself with Classical styles, in the workshops of the Danish sculptor,

Bertel Thorvaldsen Bertel Thorvaldsen (; 19 November 1770 – 24 March 1844) was a Danes, Danish and Icelanders, Icelandic Sculpture, sculptor medallist, medalist of international fame, who spent most of his life (1797–1838) in Italy. Thorvaldsen was born in ...

. Not long after returning, he began making a model of "David with the Head of Goliath"; commissioned by his old client, Friedrich Wilhelm, for

Charlottenhof Palace Charlottenhof Palace or Charlottenhof Manor (german: Schloss Charlottenhof) is a former royal palace located southwest of Sanssouci Palace in Sanssouci Park at Potsdam, Germany. It is best known as the summer residence of Crown Prince Frederick ...

. He also received orders for several royal busts, as well as one of the Renaissance scholar,

Johann Reuchlin Johann Reuchlin (; sometimes called Johannes; 29 January 1455 – 30 June 1522) was a German Catholic humanist and a scholar of Greek and Hebrew, whose work also took him to modern-day Austria, Switzerland, and Italy and France. Most of Reuchlin's ...

, for display in the

Walhalla Memorial The Walhalla is a hall of fame that honours laudable and distinguished people in German history – "politicians, sovereigns, scientists and artists of the German tongue";Official Guide booklet, 2002, p. 3 Built decades before the foundation of t ...

. In 1836, king

Otto of Greece Otto (, ; 1 June 181526 July 1867) was a Bavarian prince who ruled as King of Greece from the establishment of the monarchy on 27 May 1832, under the Convention of London, until he was deposed on 23 October 1862. The second son of King Ludw ...

appointed him a Professor at the newly established

National Technical University of Athens The National (Metsovian) Technical University of Athens (NTUA; el, Εθνικό Μετσόβιο Πολυτεχνείο, ''National Metsovian Polytechnic''), sometimes known as Athens Polytechnic, is among the oldest higher education institution ...

. Poor health and a decrease in the number of commissions led him to return to Rome in 1838. He would live there for the rest of his life. Within a short time, he acquired clients from not only the German-speaking nobility, but the English and Russian as well. His financial situation remained secure until the outbreak of the

Revolutions of 1848 The Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Springtime of the Peoples or the Springtime of Nations, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe starting in 1848. It remains the most widespread revolutionary wave in Europea ...

, which disrupted the international art market. In 1849, possibly in an effort to improve his situation, he married Henriette Ott (1825-1892), from Zürich. They had five daughters and two sons. He also took some students, including Adèle d'Affry (known as "Marcello"), and

Ferdinand Schlöth Lukas Ferdinand Schlöth (25 January 1818, Basel - 2 August 1891, Lutzenberg) was a Swiss sculptor in the late Classical style. Life and work He was born in Basel to Heinrich Ludwig Schlöth and Maria Salome Treu as the sixth of ten children. ...

, who later became his hated rival. During his last years, he suffered from

rheumatism Rheumatism or rheumatic disorders are conditions causing chronic, often intermittent pain affecting the joints or connective tissue. Rheumatism does not designate any specific disorder, but covers at least 200 different conditions, including art ...

, which affected the quality of his work.

Sources

* "Obituary – Heinrich Max Imhof", In: ''Kunstchronik. Beiblatt zur Zeitschrift für bildende Kunst'', #20, 6 August 1869, pg.189
Online
. * Conrad Escher: "Heinrich Max Imhof",' In: ''Schweizer Illustrierte'', Vol.9, 1905, pp.57–62
Online
. * * Karl Iten: ''Heinrich Max Imhof, 1795–1869. Ein Urner Bildhauer in Rom.'' Herausgegeben vom Historischen Verein Uri, Verlag Gisler, Altdorf 1995, * Harald Tesan, ''Thorvaldsen und seine Bildhauerschule in Rom'', Böhlau, 1998 * * Helmi Gasser: "Der Maler Albert Anker sucht in Altdorf Heinrich Max Imhof auf", In: ''Historisches Neujahrsblatt / Historischer Verein Uri.'' Vol.105, 2014, pp.121–130
Online
.

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Imhof, Heinrich Max 1790s births 1869 deaths Year of birth uncertain Swiss sculptors Swiss emigrants to Italy Academic staff of the National Technical University of Athens People from the canton of Uri