Jacob Ungerer (13 June 1840 – 27 April 1920) was a German

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 ...

and Professor of Fine Arts.

Life

Jacob Ungerer was born and died in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

. On his father's side he descended from a family of Munich Cafetiers and brewery owners who had grown rich in the 19th century and who had become technical pioneers (for example, Jacob Ungerer's nephew August Ungerer who in 1886 installed the first Munich Tram Line). Jacob Ungerer's mother came from a glass blower family from

Zwiesel Zwiesel ( cs, Svízel) is a town in the lower-Bavarian district of Regen, and since 1972 is a Luftkurort with particularly good air. The name of the town was derived from the Bavarian word stem "zwisl" which refers to the form of a fork. The fo ...

. After leaving school Jacob Ungerer started, in 1858, to study art in the Antique Class of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, which he completed in 1864. (Matriculation number 1510). His teacher was the sculptor Max von Widnmann. From 1864 till 1866 he took a study trip to Italy, including a longer stay in Rome. After his return in 1866 he moved into his sculpto studio. In 1890 he became Professor for Sculpture at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. Ungerer died 17 April 1920 in Munich. Almost all his artistic estate, among them many models, paintings and drawings, was destroyed in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

during an air raid on Chemnitz.

Work

The Mende Fountain in Leipzig

In 1883 in Leipzig, Ungerer created the neo-Baroque figures for the monumental Mende Fountain which was donated by Marianne Pauline Mende. She was a rich widow said to have had a dubious establishment in Leipzig. The Mende Fountain is an allegory of the element Water, depicted as figures from

Greek Mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities ...

. The outer basin symbolises the Ocean, the

dolphin A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (the ...

s on the edge are the mouths of rivers which let the water flow into the ocean. The

Hippocamp The hippocampus or hippocamp, also ''hippokampos'' (plural: hippocampi or hippocamps; grc, ἱππόκαμπος, from , "horse" and , "sea monster"

s - fable beings half horse, half fish - show the threatening and forceful sides of water. They are kept under control by the Tritons, the sons of

Poseidon Poseidon (; grc-gre, Ποσειδῶν) was one of the Twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and myth, god of the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.Burkert 1985pp. 136–139 In pre-Olympian Bronze Age Greece, he was venerated as a ...

. The

Nereids In Greek mythology, the Nereids or Nereides ( ; grc, Νηρηΐδες, Nērēḯdes; , also Νημερτές) are sea nymphs (female spirits of sea waters), the 50 daughters of the ' Old Man of the Sea' Nereus and the Oceanid Doris, sisters ...

symbolise the peaceful relationship between water and humans - as a fruitful exchange, as a sign of the usefulness of water for humans. The

obelisk An obelisk (; from grc, ὀβελίσκος ; diminutive of ''obelos'', " spit, nail, pointed pillar") is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape or pyramidion at the top. Originally constructed by An ...

as well as the

Putti A putto (; plural putti ) is a figure in a work of art depicted as a chubby male child, usually naked and sometimes winged. Originally limited to profane passions in symbolism,Dempsey, Charles. ''Inventing the Renaissance Putto''. University of ...

point up to the sky which grants water, in the form of rain, to Earth. Image:Ungerer_Mendebrunnen00.jpg, Mende fountain, old view around 1900 Image:Mendebrunnen Leipzig Detailansicht.jpg, Mende fountain in today's setting Image:Ungerer_Mendebrunnen01.jpg, Mende fountain, the Putti
at the base of the Obelisk Image:Ungerer_Mendebrunnen02.jpg, Mende fountain, Triton and Hippocamp During the time of the Mende Fountain Ungerer also created other sculptures in Leipzig: the sculptures for the Museum of Visual Arts, for the Städtische Gewerbeschule ( today College for Technology. Economy and Culture, Leipzig), for the Royal Conservatory of Music (today the College of Music and Theatre "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig) and for the old Grassi-Museum.

The Hamburg City Hall Sculptures

Martin Haller, architect of the

Hamburg City Hall Hamburg City Hall (german: link=no, Hamburger Rathaus, ) is the seat of local government of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, Germany. It is the seat of the government of Hamburg and as such, the seat of one of Germany's 16 state parliam ...

, asked Ungerer in a letter dated 1893 to create "a decorative, richly structured portal, the so-called Bride Gate, to serve young couples as the entrance to the Registrar's Office, should they wish to take the first step into marriage in a more magnificent setting than that offered by our modest Registry Offices which are housed in dirty blocks of flats." Under the God of Marriage Hymen, carrying two torches, there was to be, on the right of the entrance, Adam with his faithful dog and, on the left side Eve with the snake offering the apple. The whole was to be crowned by two turtle doves. Adam and Eve were to be shown “naturally in paradisical nakedness. As the genitals would then be at the eyelevel of onlookers it is recommended that these parts would be covered with a branch as in the naive manner of the Middle Ages." (Source: STAHH 322-1RBK 149). The plans to install also "heads of Bluebeard and Xantippes with the insignia of knife and slipper", as a reminder to the couples, had to be dropped however. "The completion of this work which had been already started by the mason, was denied to us in the strongest terms because images of such horrors might have a negative influence on young couples, perhaps putting them off marriage altogether and would therefore be disadvantageous to the desired increase in the Hamburg population." (Source: Martin Waller, about the building or the Hamburg City Hall, lecture held in the Society for Art and Science on 8th Nov. 1897, Hamburg). The figures for the Bridal Gate were completed in 1896. Apart from that Ungerer also created the statue of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, for the Emperors Gallery for the facade of Hamburg City Hall. Plans for a Registry Office in the City Hall were, however, turned down by the

Hamburg Senate The government of Hamburg is divided into executive, legislative and judicial branches. Hamburg is a city-state and municipality, and thus its governance deals with several details of both state and local community politics. It takes place in two ...

. Therefore, no bride ever walked through the Bridal Gate. Image:Ungerer_Hymen.jpg, Hymen (Bridal Gate, City Hall Hamburg) Image:Ungerer_Adam.jpg, Adam (Bridal Gate, City Hall Hamburg) Image:Ungerer_Eva.jpg, Eve (Bridal Gate, City Hall Hamburg) Image:Ungerer_Karl_V.jpg, Charles V (Emperors Gallery, City Hall Hamburg)

Works in Munich and in Linderhof Castle

Ungerer also created figures for various public buildings in Munich such as the Palace of Justice, erected by

Friedrich von Thiersch Friedrich Maximilian Thiersch, after 1897 Ritter von Thiersch (18 April 1852, Marburg – 23 December 1921, Munich), was a German architect and painter in the late Historicist style. Life and work His father, H. W. J. Thiersch, was a prominen ...

(1897), 4 Apostles for the

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 ...

of St. Ursula church. No details are known about the works by Ungerer for Linderhof Castle.

Works for the Porcelain Manufacture in Meissen

For the Porcelain Manufacture in Meissen, Ungerer designed several figures in 1902, such as the "Gardener Girl with Dog", "Gentleman with Dog", "Gentleman with Field glasses and Walking Stick", "Elegant Lady with Fan", "Lady with Cat" and "Goose Girl”. Image:3figurae.jpg, Figurines by Jacob Ungerer: „Gardener Girl with Dog“, „Goose Girl“, „Lady with Cat“, 1902 Image:Ungerer_HerrmitFernglas_Damemit Faecher.jpg, Figurines by Jacob Ungerer: „ Elegant Lady with Fan“, „Gentleman with Field glasses and Walking Stick", 1902

Honours

Prize Medals * 1874 Ungerer participated in the International Exhibition of all Fine Arts, Industries and Inventions in London and received a Prize Medal from the President, Albert Edward, Prince of Wales. * 1896 Ungerer received a gold medal in the Yearly Exhibition of Munich Artists.

External links

Jacob Ungerer (Sculpture Derived From Greek Hellenistic Influence 19th Century)
* ttp://www.sub.uni-hamburg.de/opus/volltexte/2006/2784/pdf/Dissertation_Internet.pdf Klaus Mühlfried, Baukunst als Ausdruck politischer Gesinnung – Martin Haller und sein Wirken in Hamburg {{DEFAULTSORT:Ungerer, Jacob 1840 births 1920 deaths Artists from Munich Academy of Fine Arts, Munich faculty Academy of Fine Arts, Munich alumni 20th-century German sculptors 20th-century German male artists 19th-century German sculptors German male sculptors