Adolf Michaelis
Encyclopedia
Adolf Michaelis was a German classical scholar, a professor of art history
at the University of Strasbourg
from 1872, who helped establish the connoisseurship of Ancient Greek sculpture
and Roman sculpture
on their modern footing. Just at the cusp of the introduction of photography as a tool of art history
, Michaelis pioneered in supplementing his descriptions with sketches.
, Schleswig-Holstein
, the son of the gynecologist Gustav Adolf Michaelis
(1798–1848) and the nephew of Otto Jahn
, who introduced scientific philological method into classical archaeology; Jahn first guided his nephew's interest in the classics. After Jahn's death, Michaelis produced in 1880 a second edition of Jahn's scholarly presentation of an excerpt of Pausanias
' description of Greece, Arx Athenarum a Pausania Descripta, offering the Greek text with Latin introduction and notes. The title was a modest understatement: Jahn collected all the classical references to the Acropolis of Athens
and all the surviving inscriptions, and incorporated them into a history woven from classical sources. In the 1880 edition, Michaelis added forty plates of site plans, drawings and scholarly restorations of buildings and monuments, as well as engravings of sculpture, terracottas and coins illustrating the cult practices and deities honored on Arx Athenarum, "Athena's hill".
Michaelis read classical philology
and archaeology at the University of Leipzig
, where he attended the classes of Johannes Overbeck
(1826–1895), an expert on Pompeii
whose emphasis on written sources for documenting Greek art was influential in formulating Michaelis' approach to antiquities and whose corpus of mythological representations in Greek art, Griechische Kunstmythologie, begun in 1871, helped spark Michaelis' own compilation of antiquities in English collections.
Michaelis pursued further studies in Berlin
, then returned to Kiel to work on Horace
. A trip to Rome in 1857 introduced him to the circle of scholars at the Deutsches Archäologisches Institut (The German Archaeological Institute
), on whose fellowship he travelled to Greece with Alexander Conze
in 1859-60, On his return to Germany he taught briefly at Greifswald and at Tübingen, 1862-67. In 1872, following the publication of his monograph on the Parthenon
he accepted the chair for Classical Archaeology at the recently established University of Strasbourg
, where he settled down for life and created a great department of archaeology supported by a great archaeological library. During recesses he scoured the collections of classical sculpture conserved in English country house
s, the result of a century and a half of British collecting; in 1882 he published the repertory for which he has remained famous, a work still referred to, Ancient Marbles in Great Britain; this, in addition to his scholarly work on classical sculpture, is the cornerstone of the history of English collecting in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
From 1894 until 1899, he was also administrator of the Egyptian collection at the University of Strasbourg.
Michaelis summed up his knowledge in 1906 with his Die archäologischen Entdeckungen des neunzehnten Jahrhunderts, one of the first historiographies
of the development in classical archaeology
that had taken place during the nineteenth century; it follows in detail the archaeological expeditions, many of them undertaken by German institutions, with illustrations and site plans, ending with an overview of the older archaeology and the conditions of new views.
Michaelis died at Strasbourg
. His volume on classical art, Das Altertum, written for Anton Springer's extensive survey, Handbuch der Kunstgeschichte, appeared posthumously in 1911.
Art history
Art history has historically been understood as the academic study of objects of art in their historical development and stylistic contexts, i.e. genre, design, format, and style...
at the University of Strasbourg
University of Strasbourg
The University of Strasbourg in Strasbourg, Alsace, France, is the largest university in France, with about 43,000 students and over 4,000 researchers....
from 1872, who helped establish the connoisseurship of Ancient Greek sculpture
Ancient Greek sculpture
Ancient Greek sculpture is the sculpture of Ancient Greece. Modern scholarship identifies three major stages. They were used to depict the battles, mythology, and rulers of the land known as Ancient Greece.-Geometric:...
and Roman sculpture
Roman sculpture
The study of ancient Roman sculpture is complicated by its relation to Greek sculpture. Many examples of even the most famous Greek sculptures, such as the Apollo Belvedere and Barberini Faun, are known only from Roman Imperial or Hellenistic "copies." At one time, this imitation was taken by art...
on their modern footing. Just at the cusp of the introduction of photography as a tool of art history
Art history
Art history has historically been understood as the academic study of objects of art in their historical development and stylistic contexts, i.e. genre, design, format, and style...
, Michaelis pioneered in supplementing his descriptions with sketches.
Biography
Adolf Michaelis was born in KielKiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
, Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
, the son of the gynecologist Gustav Adolf Michaelis
Gustav Adolf Michaelis
Gustav Adolf Michaelis was a German obstetrician who was a native of Kiel. He studied medicine in Göttingen under surgeon Konrad Johann Martin Langenbeck and obstetrician Friedrich Benjamin Osiander , and later was director of the Obstetric Hospital and the School of Midwifery at Kiel...
(1798–1848) and the nephew of Otto Jahn
Otto Jahn
Otto Jahn , was a German archaeologist, philologist, and writer on art and music.He was born at Kiel...
, who introduced scientific philological method into classical archaeology; Jahn first guided his nephew's interest in the classics. After Jahn's death, Michaelis produced in 1880 a second edition of Jahn's scholarly presentation of an excerpt of Pausanias
Pausanias (geographer)
Pausanias was a Greek traveler and geographer of the 2nd century AD, who lived in the times of Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius. He is famous for his Description of Greece , a lengthy work that describes ancient Greece from firsthand observations, and is a crucial link between classical...
' description of Greece, Arx Athenarum a Pausania Descripta, offering the Greek text with Latin introduction and notes. The title was a modest understatement: Jahn collected all the classical references to the Acropolis of Athens
Acropolis of Athens
The Acropolis of Athens or Citadel of Athens is the best known acropolis in the world. Although there are many other acropoleis in Greece, the significance of the Acropolis of Athens is such that it is commonly known as The Acropolis without qualification...
and all the surviving inscriptions, and incorporated them into a history woven from classical sources. In the 1880 edition, Michaelis added forty plates of site plans, drawings and scholarly restorations of buildings and monuments, as well as engravings of sculpture, terracottas and coins illustrating the cult practices and deities honored on Arx Athenarum, "Athena's hill".
Michaelis read classical philology
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
and archaeology at the University of Leipzig
University of Leipzig
The University of Leipzig , located in Leipzig in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, is one of the oldest universities in the world and the second-oldest university in Germany...
, where he attended the classes of Johannes Overbeck
Johannes Overbeck
Johannes Adolph Overbeck was a German archaeologist and art historian.-Biography:Overbeck was born in Antwerp. He was son-in-law to zoologist Georg August Goldfuss , and was father-in-law to anthropologist Emil Ludwig Schmidt . His uncle was famed painter Friedrich Overbeck .In 1848 Overbeck...
(1826–1895), an expert on Pompeii
Pompeii
The city of Pompeii is a partially buried Roman town-city near modern Naples in the Italian region of Campania, in the territory of the comune of Pompei. Along with Herculaneum, Pompeii was destroyed and completely buried during a long catastrophic eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius spanning...
whose emphasis on written sources for documenting Greek art was influential in formulating Michaelis' approach to antiquities and whose corpus of mythological representations in Greek art, Griechische Kunstmythologie, begun in 1871, helped spark Michaelis' own compilation of antiquities in English collections.
Michaelis pursued further studies in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, then returned to Kiel to work on Horace
Horace
Quintus Horatius Flaccus , known in the English-speaking world as Horace, was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus.-Life:...
. A trip to Rome in 1857 introduced him to the circle of scholars at the Deutsches Archäologisches Institut (The German Archaeological Institute
German Archaeological Institute
The German Archaeological Institute is an institution of research within the field of archaeology , and a "scientific corporation", with parentage of the federal Foreign Office of Germany-Origin:...
), on whose fellowship he travelled to Greece with Alexander Conze
Alexander Conze
Alexander Christian Leopold Conze was a German archaeologist who specialized in ancient Greek art. He was a native of Hannover, and studied at the University of Göttingen. In 1863 he became a professor at the University of Halle, and from 1869 to 1877 worked at the University of Vienna, where he...
in 1859-60, On his return to Germany he taught briefly at Greifswald and at Tübingen, 1862-67. In 1872, following the publication of his monograph on the Parthenon
Parthenon
The Parthenon is a temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena, whom the people of Athens considered their virgin patron. Its construction began in 447 BC when the Athenian Empire was at the height of its power. It was completed in 438 BC, although...
he accepted the chair for Classical Archaeology at the recently established University of Strasbourg
University of Strasbourg
The University of Strasbourg in Strasbourg, Alsace, France, is the largest university in France, with about 43,000 students and over 4,000 researchers....
, where he settled down for life and created a great department of archaeology supported by a great archaeological library. During recesses he scoured the collections of classical sculpture conserved in English country house
English country house
The English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a London house. This allowed to them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these people, the term distinguished between town and country...
s, the result of a century and a half of British collecting; in 1882 he published the repertory for which he has remained famous, a work still referred to, Ancient Marbles in Great Britain; this, in addition to his scholarly work on classical sculpture, is the cornerstone of the history of English collecting in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
From 1894 until 1899, he was also administrator of the Egyptian collection at the University of Strasbourg.
Michaelis summed up his knowledge in 1906 with his Die archäologischen Entdeckungen des neunzehnten Jahrhunderts, one of the first historiographies
Historiography
Historiography refers either to the study of the history and methodology of history as a discipline, or to a body of historical work on a specialized topic...
of the development in classical archaeology
Classical archaeology
Classical archaeology is the archaeological investigation of the great Mediterranean civilizations of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. Nineteenth century archaeologists such as Heinrich Schliemann were drawn to study the societies they had read about in Latin and Greek texts...
that had taken place during the nineteenth century; it follows in detail the archaeological expeditions, many of them undertaken by German institutions, with illustrations and site plans, ending with an overview of the older archaeology and the conditions of new views.
Michaelis died at Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
. His volume on classical art, Das Altertum, written for Anton Springer's extensive survey, Handbuch der Kunstgeschichte, appeared posthumously in 1911.