Philipp Hainhofer
Encyclopedia
Philipp Hainhofer was a merchant, banker, diplomat and art collector in Augsburg
. He is remembered, among other things, for the curiosity cabinets (Kunstschränke) which he created with the assistance of a large number of Augsburg artisans.
Hainhofer studied Law at the Universities of Siena
and Padua
, traveled through Italy
, Germany
and the Netherlands
, and acquired a good knowledge of art and several languages. He was elected to the senate of Augsburg in 1605 and was chosen as political correspondent in the city by the King of France, the Margrave of Baden and Duke Philip II of Pomerania. he last of these was of particular significance and Hainhofer acted as agent for the Duke in acquiring art and objects for a Kunstkammer (curiosity chamber), and in composing the famous so-called Pommerscher Kunstschrank (Pomeranian curiosity cabinet), which was made 1615-1617 and given as a gift to the Duke; tragically, it was destroyed in a fire at the end of World War II
.
Philip of Pomerania and other princes used Hainhofer for various diplomatic missions and the contacts Hainhofer made on his journeys also served to develop his business as an art agent, and he produced additional curiosity cabinets. In 1632, one was presented by Hainhofer on behalf of the City of Augsburg to King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden
. This cabinet, which is the best preserved of Hainhofer's Kunstschränke, is on display in the Museum Gustavianum
of the University of Uppsala. Another one, made for Augustus, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, is preserved in the Rijksmuseum
in Amsterdam
.
Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
. He is remembered, among other things, for the curiosity cabinets (Kunstschränke) which he created with the assistance of a large number of Augsburg artisans.
Hainhofer studied Law at the Universities of Siena
University of Siena
The University of Siena in Siena, Tuscany is one of the oldest and first publicly funded universities in Italy. Originally called Studium Senese, the University of Siena was founded in 1240. The University has around 20,000 students, nearly half of Siena's total population of around 54,000...
and Padua
University of Padua
The University of Padua is a premier Italian university located in the city of Padua, Italy. The University of Padua was founded in 1222 as a school of law and was one of the most prominent universities in early modern Europe. It is among the earliest universities of the world and the second...
, traveled through Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, and acquired a good knowledge of art and several languages. He was elected to the senate of Augsburg in 1605 and was chosen as political correspondent in the city by the King of France, the Margrave of Baden and Duke Philip II of Pomerania. he last of these was of particular significance and Hainhofer acted as agent for the Duke in acquiring art and objects for a Kunstkammer (curiosity chamber), and in composing the famous so-called Pommerscher Kunstschrank (Pomeranian curiosity cabinet), which was made 1615-1617 and given as a gift to the Duke; tragically, it was destroyed in a fire at the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Philip of Pomerania and other princes used Hainhofer for various diplomatic missions and the contacts Hainhofer made on his journeys also served to develop his business as an art agent, and he produced additional curiosity cabinets. In 1632, one was presented by Hainhofer on behalf of the City of Augsburg to King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden
Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden
Gustav II Adolf has been widely known in English by his Latinized name Gustavus Adolphus Magnus and variously in historical writings also as Gustavus, or Gustavus the Great, or Gustav Adolph the Great,...
. This cabinet, which is the best preserved of Hainhofer's Kunstschränke, is on display in the Museum Gustavianum
Gustavianum
Gustavianum is the former main building of Uppsala University, built 1622–1625 and named after King Gustavus Adolphus. Under the cupola is the theatrum anatomicum, the second oldest in the world added to the building in the mid 17th century by Olaus Rudbeck, professor of medicine and amateur...
of the University of Uppsala. Another one, made for Augustus, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, is preserved in the Rijksmuseum
Rijksmuseum
The Rijksmuseum Amsterdam or simply Rijksmuseum is a Dutch national museum in Amsterdam, located on the Museumplein. The museum is dedicated to arts, crafts, and history. It has a large collection of paintings from the Dutch Golden Age and a substantial collection of Asian art...
in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
.
Further reading
- Jochen Brüning & Friedrich Niewöhner (eds.), Augsburg in der Frühen Neuzeit. Beiträge zu einem Forschungsprogramm (1995)
External links
- Presentation and very large and detailed image of the cabinet made for Duke August of Brunswick-Lüneburg, at the Rijksmuseum.
- The Augsburg Art Cabinet, about the Uppsala cabinet
- The King's Kunstkammer, a Danish Internet exhibition on the idea behind renaissance art and curiosity chambers (text in English)
- Pommerscher Kunstschrank
- J. Paul Getty MuseumJ. Paul Getty MuseumThe J. Paul Getty Museum, a program of the J. Paul Getty Trust, is an art museum. It has two locations, one at the Getty Center in Los Angeles, California, and one at the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California...
Augsburg Cabinet: 3-D model online interactive with high-resolution photography, description of subjects depicted, and mapping of exotic materials.