Julius Braun (16 July 1825 in

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( , , ; South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the third-largest city of the German state (''Land'') of Baden-Württemberg after its capital of Stuttgart and Mannheim, and the 22nd-largest city in the nation, with 308,436 inhabitants. ...

– 1869 in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

) was a German

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...

, with an interest in

art Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...

culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Tyl ...

and

religion Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...

Biography

Braun was born in

and received his early education at the city's lyceum. He then studied at the universities of

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...

and

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

, at first

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

, but later

philology Philology () is the study of language in oral and writing, written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defin ...

and

art history Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today ...

. He finished his formal studies in 1848, and passed the test for teachers in Karlsruhe that same year. From 1850 to 1853, he undertook an extensive study tour which brought him to Egypt, Syria,

Asia Minor Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

, Rome, Paris and London. At first a ''

privatdozent ''Privatdozent'' (for men) or ''Privatdozentin'' (for women), abbreviated PD, P.D. or Priv.-Doz., is an academic title conferred at some European universities, especially in German-speaking countries, to someone who holds certain formal qualific ...

'' in the University of Heidelberg (1853), he later became a professor at the

University of Tübingen The University of Tübingen, officially the Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen (german: Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen; la, Universitas Eberhardina Carolina), is a public research university located in the city of Tübingen, Baden-Wü ...

for a short period of time (from 1860). However he wished to reach a wider audience and find a more stimulating atmosphere. Thus he finally went to

, where he lectured in the

Academy of Arts An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, f ...

. There he gained a circle of warm friends among the educated, but not the position he hoped for. He busied himself with his writings, and traveled to Rome again briefly. He finally died of a fever.

Thesis

Both in his books and in his lectures he maintained the thesis that the really fundamental principles of art and religion were derived from the

Egyptians Egyptians ( arz, المَصرِيُون, translit=al-Maṣriyyūn, ; arz, المَصرِيِين, translit=al-Maṣriyyīn, ; cop, ⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ, remenkhēmi) are an ethnic group native to the Nile, Nile Valley in Egypt. Egyptian ...

, and were transmitted, through the

Semites Semites, Semitic peoples or Semitic cultures is an obsolete term for an ethnic, cultural or racial group.Greeks The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, oth ...

, and

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

, to the Germanic and other northern peoples.

Works

* ''Studien und Skizzen aus den Ländern der alten Kultur'' (“Studies and sketches from the lands of ancient cultures”, 1854). * ''Geschichte der Kunst in ihrem Entwicklungsgang durch alle Völker der Alten welt hindurch auf dem Boden der ortskunde nachgewiesen'' (“History of art in its process of development by all peoples of the ancient world”, etc., 2 volumes, 1856–58, 2nd edition 1873), with

Franz von Reber Franz von Reber (10 November 1834 in Cham, Bavaria – 4 September 1919 in Pöcking) was a German art historian.

; a projected 3rd volume, involving

Etruria Etruria () was a region of Central Italy, located in an area that covered part of what are now most of Tuscany, northern Lazio, and northern and western Umbria. Etruscan Etruria The ancient people of Etruria are identified as Etruscan civiliza ...

and Rome, was never written.HathiTrust Digital Library
published works * ''Naturgeschichte der Sage'' (“Natural history of legends”, 2 volumes, 1864–65); considered to be his best work, * ''Historische Landschaften'' (“Historical landscapes”, 1867). * ''Gemälde der mohammedanischen Welt'' (“Islamic painting”, 1870).

References

;Attribution *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Braun, Julius 1825 births 1869 deaths Writers from Karlsruhe German art historians Heidelberg University alumni Humboldt University of Berlin alumni Academic staff of the University of Tübingen 19th-century German historians 19th-century German male writers 19th-century German writers German male non-fiction writers