Joseph Sibbel
Encyclopedia
Joseph Sibbel was a German-born sculptor.
As a boy he evinced the inclination for cutting ornaments and figures from wood, which attracted the attention of his teacher, who urged the parents of the boy to send him to Munster
, Westphalia
. At the establishment of the wood carver, Friedrich A. Ewertz, Sibbel developed an interest in ecclesiastical sculpture. He spent his leisure time in visiting the studio of the sculptor Theodore Achterman, where he acquired the art of modeling in clay.
In 1873 he emigrated to Cincinnati, Ohio
. Here he joined several other artists from the same workshop, who had established an atelier for ecclesiastical sculpture, mostly in wood. When this enterprise failed, he tried his hand at secular sculpture with a certain Rebisso. When this establishment also failed, Sibbel came to New York, where he established the studio from which issued his many works. To emulate foreign ecclesiastical decoration was his aim. His first work in New York was a lectern, cast in bronze, for the Episcopal Stewart Memorial Cathedral
in Garden City
, Long Island
. Here the young artist broke loose from the ordinary form by placing religious groups in front of the stand. Below the customary eagle with spread wings he designed an upright figure of Christ
blessing a group at his feet. The sermon desk proper he adorned with a symbolical group of three figures, typifying youth, maturity, and age, listening to the word of God from above.
It was not until he furnished for the cathedral in Hartford, Connecticut
, a series of alto-relievos, prominent among which was an altar picture representing the Christ-child disputing with the Scribes in the temple, that the Catholic churches began to appreciate him. These and a series of Stations of the Cross
were cast in imitation alabaster
, and attracted much attention, as did his colossal statue of Archbishop Feehan
of Chicago
. His works showed emancipation from the conventionality of the cloister
-art of modern times. His best-known work is the heroic statue of St. Patrick in St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York
. Here also are to be found his statues of St. Anselm, St. Bernard of Clairvaux
, St. Alphonsus Liguori
, and St. Bonaventure.
Two heroic panels, representing "Our Lady Comforter of the Afflicted" and "The Death of St. Joseph", are erected in the Church of St. Francis Xavier in St. Louis, Missouri
. These groups, each twelve feet high and eight feet wide, were carved from one block weighing nearly nine tons. The four heroic statues in St. Joseph's Seminary, Dunwoodie
, New York, have been classed as the final step in his break from conventionality. These figures represent Isaac Jogues
, the slain apostle of the Mohawk
Native Americans; St. Rose of Lima
, the first canonized saint of the New World
; St. Turibius; and Kateri Tekakwitha
, the Mohawk woman and first Native American convert to Catholicism. In these statues the artist ventured on a new path in religious sculpture, portraying typical American subjects.
Among his last works was the exterior and interior statuary decoration of St. Paul's Cathedral in Pittsburgh
. Among these statues are represented the Apostles and Doctors of the Church
, executed in Indian limestone
. In the conception of each statue there is expressed a different idea, for instance the marble statue representing Purgatory
. Here the artist represents in two figures a very complex idea. Out of the flames of torture there rises a female figure, symbolic of a liberated soul casting off the veil of darkness and beholding the light of eternal reward. Below, there appears a still afflicted soul, represented by a wan male figure imploring intercession.
As a boy he evinced the inclination for cutting ornaments and figures from wood, which attracted the attention of his teacher, who urged the parents of the boy to send him to Munster
Münster
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
, Westphalia
Westphalia
Westphalia is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Arnsberg, Bielefeld, Dortmund, Minden and Münster.Westphalia is roughly the region between the rivers Rhine and Weser, located north and south of the Ruhr River. No exact definition of borders can be given, because the name "Westphalia"...
. At the establishment of the wood carver, Friedrich A. Ewertz, Sibbel developed an interest in ecclesiastical sculpture. He spent his leisure time in visiting the studio of the sculptor Theodore Achterman, where he acquired the art of modeling in clay.
In 1873 he emigrated to Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
. Here he joined several other artists from the same workshop, who had established an atelier for ecclesiastical sculpture, mostly in wood. When this enterprise failed, he tried his hand at secular sculpture with a certain Rebisso. When this establishment also failed, Sibbel came to New York, where he established the studio from which issued his many works. To emulate foreign ecclesiastical decoration was his aim. His first work in New York was a lectern, cast in bronze, for the Episcopal Stewart Memorial Cathedral
Cathedral of the Incarnation, Garden City
The Cathedral of the Incarnation is an Episcopal church in Garden City, New York, and the cathedral church of the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island. The Cathedral was established in 1876 as a memorial to and mausoleum for Garden City founder, Alexander Turney Stewart...
in Garden City
Garden City, New York
Garden City is a village in the town of Hempstead in central Nassau County, New York, in the United States. It was founded by multi-millionaire Alexander Turney Stewart in 1869, and is located on Long Island, to the east of New York City, from mid-town Manhattan, and just south of the town of...
, Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
. Here the young artist broke loose from the ordinary form by placing religious groups in front of the stand. Below the customary eagle with spread wings he designed an upright figure of Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
blessing a group at his feet. The sermon desk proper he adorned with a symbolical group of three figures, typifying youth, maturity, and age, listening to the word of God from above.
It was not until he furnished for the cathedral in Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
, a series of alto-relievos, prominent among which was an altar picture representing the Christ-child disputing with the Scribes in the temple, that the Catholic churches began to appreciate him. These and a series of Stations of the Cross
Stations of the Cross
Stations of the Cross refers to the depiction of the final hours of Jesus, and the devotion commemorating the Passion. The tradition as chapel devotion began with St...
were cast in imitation alabaster
Alabaster
Alabaster is a name applied to varieties of two distinct minerals, when used as a material: gypsum and calcite . The former is the alabaster of the present day; generally, the latter is the alabaster of the ancients...
, and attracted much attention, as did his colossal statue of Archbishop Feehan
Patrick Feehan
Archbishop Patrick Augustine Feehan , was a U.S. Catholic bishop. He served as the fifth Bishop and first Archbishop of Chicago between 1880 and 1902, during which the church in Chicago was elevated to an archdiocese. Prior to moving to Chicago, Feehan served as the third bishop of the Diocese of...
of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. His works showed emancipation from the conventionality of the cloister
Cloister
A cloister is a rectangular open space surrounded by covered walks or open galleries, with open arcades on the inner side, running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth...
-art of modern times. His best-known work is the heroic statue of St. Patrick in St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York
St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York
The Cathedral of St. Patrick is a decorated Neo-Gothic-style Roman Catholic cathedral church in the United States...
. Here also are to be found his statues of St. Anselm, St. Bernard of Clairvaux
Bernard of Clairvaux
Bernard of Clairvaux, O.Cist was a French abbot and the primary builder of the reforming Cistercian order.After the death of his mother, Bernard sought admission into the Cistercian order. Three years later, he was sent to found a new abbey at an isolated clearing in a glen known as the Val...
, St. Alphonsus Liguori
Alphonsus Liguori
Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori was an Italian Catholic bishop, spiritual writer, scholastic philosopher and theologian, and founder of the Redemptorists, an influential religious congregation...
, and St. Bonaventure.
Two heroic panels, representing "Our Lady Comforter of the Afflicted" and "The Death of St. Joseph", are erected in the Church of St. Francis Xavier in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. These groups, each twelve feet high and eight feet wide, were carved from one block weighing nearly nine tons. The four heroic statues in St. Joseph's Seminary, Dunwoodie
St. Joseph's Seminary, Dunwoodie
St. Joseph's Seminary and College, sometimes referred to as Dunwoodie, after the Yonkers, New York neighborhood it is located in, is the major seminary of the Archdiocese of New York. Its primary mission is to form men for the priesthood in the Catholic Church...
, New York, have been classed as the final step in his break from conventionality. These figures represent Isaac Jogues
Isaac Jogues
Isaac Jogues was a Jesuit priest, missionary, and martyr who traveled and worked among the native populations in North America. He gave the original European name to Lake George, calling it Lac du Saint Sacrement, Lake of the Blessed Sacrament. In 1646, Jogues was martyred by the Mohawks near ...
, the slain apostle of the Mohawk
Mohawk nation
Mohawk are the most easterly tribe of the Iroquois confederation. They call themselves Kanien'gehaga, people of the place of the flint...
Native Americans; St. Rose of Lima
Rose of Lima
Rose of Lima, , the first Catholic saint of the Americas, was born in Lima, Peru.-Biography:Saint Rose of Lima was born in the city of that name, the daughter of Gaspar Flores, a harquebusier from San German, Puerto Rico, and his wife, Maria de Oliva, who was a native of Lima. She was part of a...
, the first canonized saint of the New World
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
; St. Turibius; and Kateri Tekakwitha
Kateri Tekakwitha
Kateri Tekakwitha or Catherine Tekakwitha was a Mohawk-Algonquian woman from New York and an early convert to Catholicism, who has been beatified in the Roman Catholic Church.-Her life:...
, the Mohawk woman and first Native American convert to Catholicism. In these statues the artist ventured on a new path in religious sculpture, portraying typical American subjects.
Among his last works was the exterior and interior statuary decoration of St. Paul's Cathedral in Pittsburgh
Cathedral of Saint Paul in Pittsburgh
The Cathedral of Saint Paul is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States...
. Among these statues are represented the Apostles and Doctors of the Church
Doctor of the Church
Doctor of the Church is a title given by a variety of Christian churches to individuals whom they recognize as having been of particular importance, particularly regarding their contribution to theology or doctrine.-Catholic Church:In the Catholic Church, this name is given to a saint from whose...
, executed in Indian limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
. In the conception of each statue there is expressed a different idea, for instance the marble statue representing Purgatory
Purgatory
Purgatory is the condition or process of purification or temporary punishment in which, it is believed, the souls of those who die in a state of grace are made ready for Heaven...
. Here the artist represents in two figures a very complex idea. Out of the flames of torture there rises a female figure, symbolic of a liberated soul casting off the veil of darkness and beholding the light of eternal reward. Below, there appears a still afflicted soul, represented by a wan male figure imploring intercession.