Ludwig Lindenschmit the Elder
Encyclopedia
Ludwig Lindenschmit (September 4, 1809 - February 14, 1893) was a German history painter
, prehistorian
and art instructor who was a native of Mainz
. He studied art in Vienna
and Munich
, and beginning in 1831 was a high school art teacher in Mainz. He was a younger brother to history painter Wilhelm Lindenschmit
(1806-1848), and father to prehistorian Ludwig Lindenschmit (the Younger) (1850-1922).
Lindenschmit was an art teacher in Mainz from 1831 until the 1870s, and as his career progressed he became increasingly interested in research of prehistoric Germanic antiquities. In 1848 he published Das Germanische Totenlager von Selzen
, which was an important treatise on Germanic sepulchral
mounds, and in 1851 he became head of the Romano-Germanic Central Museum in Mainz. Lindenschmit was an outspoken critic of the "three-age system
" developed by archaeologist Christian Jürgensen Thomsen
(1788-1865).
With anatomist Alexander Ecker
(1816-1887) he founded the Archiv für Anthropologie, and as a painter he assisted his brother Wilhelm with the historic frescoes at Hohenschwangau
Castle in the Ostallgäu
district .
History painting
History painting is a genre in painting defined by subject matter rather than an artistic style, depicting a moment in a narrative story, rather than a static subject such as a portrait...
, prehistorian
Prehistory
Prehistory is the span of time before recorded history. Prehistory can refer to the period of human existence before the availability of those written records with which recorded history begins. More broadly, it refers to all the time preceding human existence and the invention of writing...
and art instructor who was a native of Mainz
Mainz
Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
. He studied art in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
and Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, and beginning in 1831 was a high school art teacher in Mainz. He was a younger brother to history painter Wilhelm Lindenschmit
Wilhelm Lindenschmit the Elder
Wilhelm Lindenschmit was a history painter who was born in Mainz. He was an older brother to prehistorian Ludwig Lindenschmit , and father to history painter Wilhelm Lindenschmit the Younger ....
(1806-1848), and father to prehistorian Ludwig Lindenschmit (the Younger) (1850-1922).
Lindenschmit was an art teacher in Mainz from 1831 until the 1870s, and as his career progressed he became increasingly interested in research of prehistoric Germanic antiquities. In 1848 he published Das Germanische Totenlager von Selzen
Selzen
Selzen is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.- Location :Selzen lies between Mainz and Worms in Rhenish Hesse on the Selz...
, which was an important treatise on Germanic sepulchral
Sepulchre
The rock-cut tombs in ancient Israel are a group of hundreds of rock-cut tombs constructed in Israel in ancient times. They were cut into the rock, sometimes with elaborate facades and multiple burial chambers. Some are free-standing, but most are caves. Each tomb typically belonged to a...
mounds, and in 1851 he became head of the Romano-Germanic Central Museum in Mainz. Lindenschmit was an outspoken critic of the "three-age system
Three-age system
The three-age system in archaeology and physical anthropology is the periodization of human prehistory into three consecutive time periods, named for their respective tool-making technologies:* The Stone Age* The Bronze Age* The Iron Age-Origin:...
" developed by archaeologist Christian Jürgensen Thomsen
Christian Jürgensen Thomsen
Christian Jürgensen Thomsen was a Danish archaeologist.In 1816 he was appointed head of 'antiquarian' collections which later developed into the National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen. While organizing and classifying the antiquities for exhibition, he decided to present them chronologically...
(1788-1865).
With anatomist Alexander Ecker
Alexander Ecker
Johann Alexander Ecker was a German anthropologist and anatomist who was born in Freiburg im Breisgau. He studied medicine in Freiburg, where in 1840 became a prosector...
(1816-1887) he founded the Archiv für Anthropologie, and as a painter he assisted his brother Wilhelm with the historic frescoes at Hohenschwangau
Hohenschwangau
Hohenschwangau is a village in the municipality of Schwangau, Ostallgäu district, Bavaria, Germany.It is located between Schloss Neuschwanstein and Schloss Hohenschwangau and is visited by about 2 million people annually, where they start tours to the former royal palaces.The village is dominated...
Castle in the Ostallgäu
Ostallgäu
Ostallgäu is a district in Bavaria, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Oberallgäu, Unterallgäu, Augsburg, Landsberg, Weilheim-Schongau and Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and by the Austrian state of Tyrol...
district .
Selected publications
- Das Germanische Totenlager von Selzen (1848)
- Die Altertümer unserer heidnischen Vorzeit (1858-90)
- Die Altertümer der merovingischen Zeit (1880-89)
- Tracht und Bewaffnung des römischen Heeres während der Kaiserzeit (1882)