Carl Oesterley
Encyclopedia
Carl Wilhelm Friedrich Oesterley (22 June 1805 – 29 March 1891) was a German painter and art historian who was a native of Göttingen
. He is remembered largely for creating oil painting
s with Biblical themes, and was the father of landscape painter Carl August Heinrich Ferdinand Oesterley
(1839-1920).
He studied archaeology
, philosophy
and history at the University of Göttingen, where in 1824 he earned his doctorate in the field of art history
. Subsequently he studied drawing in Dresden
, and spent several years in Rome
(1824-29). In 1831 he became a professor of art history at Göttingen
, where he collaborated with Karl Otfried Müller
(1797-1840) on the treatise Denkmäler der alten Kunst (Monuments of Ancient Art).
In 1842 Oesterley became a full professor of art, and in 1844 after finishing the painting Christus and Ahasuerus
, he was appointed court painter
of the Kingdom of Hanover
. Beginning in 1852 he produced numerous altarpieces
and other works of art for the church in Rosdorf
, in Molzen near Uelzen
and in Bad Iburg
.
Göttingen
Göttingen is a university town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Göttingen. The Leine river runs through the town. In 2006 the population was 129,686.-General information:...
. He is remembered largely for creating oil painting
Oil painting
Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments that are bound with a medium of drying oil—especially in early modern Europe, linseed oil. Often an oil such as linseed was boiled with a resin such as pine resin or even frankincense; these were called 'varnishes' and were prized for their body...
s with Biblical themes, and was the father of landscape painter Carl August Heinrich Ferdinand Oesterley
Carl August Heinrich Ferdinand Oesterley
Carl August Heinrich Ferdinand Oesterley was a German landscape painter who was a native of Göttingen...
(1839-1920).
He studied archaeology
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
, philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and history at the University of Göttingen, where in 1824 he earned his doctorate in the field 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...
. Subsequently he studied drawing in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
, and spent several years in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
(1824-29). In 1831 he became a professor of art history at Göttingen
Göttingen
Göttingen is a university town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Göttingen. The Leine river runs through the town. In 2006 the population was 129,686.-General information:...
, where he collaborated with Karl Otfried Müller
Karl Otfried Müller
Karl Otfried Müller , was a German scholar and Philodorian, or admirer of ancient Sparta, who introduced the modern study of Greek mythology.-Biography:...
(1797-1840) on the treatise Denkmäler der alten Kunst (Monuments of Ancient Art).
In 1842 Oesterley became a full professor of art, and in 1844 after finishing the painting Christus and Ahasuerus
Ahasuerus
Ahasuerus is a name used several times in the Hebrew Bible, as well as related legends and Apocrypha. This name is applied in the Hebrew Scriptures to three rulers...
, he was appointed court painter
Court painter
A court painter was an artist who painted for the members of a royal or noble family, sometimes on a fixed salary and on an exclusive basis where the artist was not supposed to undertake other work. Especially in the late Middle Ages, they were often given the office of valet de chambre...
of the Kingdom of Hanover
Kingdom of Hanover
The Kingdom of Hanover was established in October 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic era. It succeeded the former Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg , and joined with 38 other sovereign states in the German...
. Beginning in 1852 he produced numerous altarpieces
Altar
An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
and other works of art for the church in Rosdorf
Rosdorf
Rosdorf is a municipality in the district of Göttingen, in Lower Saxony, Germany. approx. 4 km southwest of Göttingen....
, in Molzen near Uelzen
Uelzen
Uelzen is a town in northeast Lower Saxony, Germany, and capital of the county of Uelzen. It is part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region, a Hanseatic town and an independent municipality....
and in Bad Iburg
Bad Iburg
Bad Iburg is a town in the district of Osnabrück, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the Teutoburg Forest, 16 km south of Osnabrück....
.
Selected paintings
- Die Tochter Jephthas, (The Daughter of JephthaJephthaJephthah is a character in the Old Testament's Book of Judges, serving as a judge over Israel for a period of six years . He lived in Gilead and was a member of the Tribe of Manasseh. His father's name was also Gilead...
), (1836) - Die Himmelfahrt Christi, Fresko der Schlosskirche in Hannover, (The Ascension of Christ, Fresco of the Schlosskirche in HanoverHanoverHanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
), (1838) - Christus, die Kinder segnend, (Christ, the Children Benedictive), (1841)
- Szene aus Bürgers Lenore, (Scene from BürgerGottfried August BürgerGottfried August Bürger was a German poet. His ballads were very popular in Germany. His most noted ballad, Lenore, found an audience beyond readers of the German language in an English adaptation and a French translation.-Biography:He was born in Molmerswende , Principality of Halberstadt, where...
's "LenoreLenore (ballad)Lenore, sometimes translated as Leonora, Leonore or Ellenore, is a poem written by German author Gottfried August Bürger in 1773, and published in 1774 in the Göttinger Musenalmanach...
") - Dornröschen, (Sleeping BeautySleeping BeautySleeping Beauty by Charles Perrault or Little Briar Rose by the Brothers Grimm is a classic fairytale involving a beautiful princess, enchantment, and a handsome prince...
), (1861) - Christus als Erlöser, ehemaliges Altarbild für die Evangelisch-lutherische Schlosskirche in Bad Iburg als Geschenk von König Georg V. (Christ the Redeemer, a former altarpiece for the Evangelical Lutheran Church Castle in Bad IburgBad IburgBad Iburg is a town in the district of Osnabrück, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the Teutoburg Forest, 16 km south of Osnabrück....
as a gift of George V of HanoverGeorge V of HanoverGeorge V was King of Hanover, the only child of Ernest Augustus I, and a grandchild of King George III of the United Kingdom. In the peerage of Great Britain, he was 2nd Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale, 2nd Earl of Armagh...
)