Schadow

Schadow, a family of Berlin artists, of whom three must be named. (1) JOHANN GOTTFRIED SCHADOW, a sculptor, was born in Berlin on 20th May 1764, received his best training in Rome (1785 to 1788), and was, on his return home, appointed sculptor to the Prussian court, and in 1805 rector (in 1816 director) of the Academy of Arts. He died at Berlin on 27th January 1850. Among his most important works were the quadriga on the Brandenburg gate in Berlin, statues of Frederick the Great for Stettin, Blücher for Rostock, Luther for Wittenberg, numerous busts of great Germans, and monumental tombs to General Tautenzien and Von Arnim. He wrote some books dealing with his art. See his Briefe und Aufsätze (1864).—(2) RUDOLF, son of the preceding, born in Rome on 9th July 1786, died there on 31st January 1822, was trained as a sculptor by his father, and, following the example of his brother (see below), renounced Protestantism for Roman Catholicism. His best works were a Spinning-girl, Achilles and Penthesilea, John the Baptist, and Virgin and Child.—(3) FRIEDRICH WILHELM SCHADOW-GODENHAUS, second son of the first-named above, was a painter, one of the 'Nazarite' school, to which belonged Overbeck (q.v.), Schnorr, and Veit. Born in Berlin on 6th September 1789, he proceeded to Rome in 1810, studied there the works of the old masters, came under the influence of Cornelius, Overbeck, and their associates, went over to Roman Catholicism (1814), and executed two frescoes for Bartholdy's villa at Rome. In 1819 he was called to be professor of Painting at the Berlin Academy of Arts, and in 1826 was appointed to succeed Cornelius as the head of the Düsseldorf school. He gathered round him enthusiastic pupils; indeed his gifts as a teacher were superior to his talents as a painter, although his 'Mignon,' the 'Wise and Foolish Virgins,' 'Heavenly and Earthly Love,' 'Heaven,' 'Purgatory,' and 'Hell' are admirable in their way. In 1859 he resigned the directorship of the Düsseldorf Academy, and on 19th March 1862 died in that town. He wrote Über den Einfluss des Christenthums auf die bildende Kunst (Düsseldorf, 1843) and an art romance, Der Moderne Vasari (1854). See Hübner, Schadow und seine Schule (1869).