Karl Ballenberger (1801–1860) was a 19th-century German painter who worked in an archaic, medievalising style.

Life

Ballenberger was born at

Ansbach Ansbach (; ; East Franconian: ''Anschba'') is a city in the German state of Bavaria. It is the capital of the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Ansbach is southwest of Nuremberg and north of Munich, on the river Fränkische Rezat, ...

on 24 July 1801, the son of a carpenter. He attended a drawing school and worked as decorator in a porcelain factory in Bruckberg, before becoming a stonemason. In 1831 he moved to Munich, where he was instructed in drawing by Friedrich Hoffstadt, a collector of medieval art who later published his ''Gotisches A-B-C Buch'' with illustrations by himself and Ballenberger. Ballenberger then attended the city's

Academy 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 philosop ...

. During his period in Munich he carved the ornaments on the Gothic tower of the church at

Nördlingen Nördlingen (; Swabian: ''Nearle'' or ''Nearleng'') is a town in the Donau-Ries district, in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, with a population of approximately 20,674. It is located approximately east of Stuttgart, and northwest of Munich. It was b ...

, and also painted a stained glass window in the choir there. In 1833 he moved to Frankfurt am Main with Hoffstadt. There he studied at the Städelsches Kunstinstitut, then under the direction of the Nazarene painter

Philipp Veit Philipp Veit (13 February 179318 December 1877) was a German Romantic painter and one of the main exponents of the Nazarene movement. It is to Veit that the credit of having been the first to revive the nearly forgotten technique of fresco ...

. When Veit resigned from the Kunstinstitut, Ballenberger, with a group of other students, followed him to the Deutsche Haus in Sachsenhausen. Ballenberger made a close study of early German art, and painted in an archaic, medievalising style. Although his works were hard in drawing and colouring, he achieved considerable success. He was commissioned to paint four portraits, those of Conrad I, Ludwig of Bavaria,

Günther von Schwarzburg Günther XXI von Schwarzburg (c. 1304 – 14 June 1349), disputed King of Germany, was a descendant of the counts of Schwarzburg. Biography Born as the younger son of Henry VII, Count of Schwarzburg-Blankenburg (c. 1267 - 1324) and his wife ...

and Rupert of the Palatinate, for the Imperial Hall of the "

Römer The Römer (German surname, "Roman") is a medieval building in the Altstadt of Frankfurt am Main, Germany, and one of the city's most important landmarks. The Römer is located opposite the Old St. Nicholas church and has been the city hall ('' ...

", at Frankfurt. He also painted a large picture for the city of Augsburg, depicting the history of the Reformation there. Other works included series of scenes from legendary, historical, literary or religious subjects, sometimes on canvas or wood, and sometimes in watercolour on paper. He etched a plate of the arms of artists. His ''Death of St. Meinrad'' was engraved by Heinrich Nüsser. He died at Frankfurt on 21 September 1860.

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* * 19th-century German painters 19th-century German male artists German male painters 1800 births 1860 deaths People from Ansbach Academy of Fine Arts, Munich alumni Burials at Frankfurt Main Cemetery {{Germany-painter-stub

Life

See also

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