Featured Medieval Knight painting with German writing on verso

Discussion in 'Art' started by Budding Collector, Jul 24, 2024.

  1. Hi all. Hoping someone out there can help me understand what I have. I know it's an early 19th century painting and a copy of an 11th century original (according to a Library in Germany) But, the library also said the verso contains a lot of information that someone with more knowledge of art would understand. Anyone know anything about it?
    It's signed "Pfalzgraf" and under that is "Gotz v.B pxt"
    59.jpg
    40.jpg 58.jpg
     
  2. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    The text says that the original was painted by Götz von Berlichingen, who was a Pfalzgraf. A Pfalzgraf is a Palatine earl.
    This copy was painted in September 1928 by Karl Deichmann.

    Götz von Berlichingen is a famous German name btw, but that Götz von Berlichingen lived ca 200 yrs later and he was a famous knight. Goethe, one of Germany's most important writers, wrote a play about that Götz von Berlichingen.

    I have to go now, but if someone hasn't translated the rest of the text for you when I'm back tomorrow, I will do it.
     
    Last edited: Jul 24, 2024
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  3. This is great information! Thank you!! Looking over the wording I see where the Karl Deichmann is listed. Who would Otto Weigert be then?
     
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  4. And curiously, Do you know what all of the other names with the dates 1219, 1220, and 1223 stand for?
     
  5. evelyb30

    evelyb30 Well-Known Member

  6. Roaring20s

    Roaring20s Well-Known Member

    Did your's come framed like this ...
    Screen Shot 2024-07-24 at 1.02.37 PM.png
    This image came up associated with Live Auctioneers, but did not link to the sale of it.
     
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  7. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    Everstein is not an earldom, it is a duchy (a bit like me:playful:). It is the duchy where the sitter, Adalbert von Everstein, was born. Everstein is in Lower Saxony.

    Since Götz von Berlichingen was a palatine earl, it is very unlikely that he had his own earldom. A palatine earl was an official in the retinue of a king or emperor, and as such he could oversee matters in any of the royal/imperial lands or palaces. I have found von Berlichingens in different parts of Germany.
    Wherever our Götz was stationed, he apparently had enough time on his hands to develop his painting skills.;)
     
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  8. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    The text on the back brings us to an interesting time in Central and Southern European history, and I suspect the original painting was one of a series of portraits of knights who rallied around emperor Barbarossa.
    A bit of historic context:
    The Barbarossa family were emperors of the Holy Roman Empire, which had one of its main seats in Germany. The original painting was painted during the reign of Frederick II Barbarossa.
    Because of repeated conflict, the emperor had a special order of knights who were by his side when needed. This order was the Order of Knights in Kyffhäuser. Kyffhäuser was the German fortress palace of the Barbarossa emperors. It was located strategically for rapid travel to Austria and Italy.

    The text:

    Orden der Ritter im Kyffhäuser
    Order of the Knights in Kyffhäuser

    Der edle Ritter Adalbert von Everstein aus dem Voigtland

    The noble knight Adalbert von Everstein from Voigtland (Voigtland is now spelled Vogtland, it is near the Czech border)

    Eingetreten 2 VI 1219
    Ritter 12 X 1219
    Schwertfeger 13 XI 1220
    Burgbaumritter 25 XI 1223
    Zu wiederholten Malen Kanzler und Ritter vom Thron


    - Enlisted 2 VI 1219 (June 2nd 1219)
    - Knight 12 X 1219 (October 12th 1219)
    - Schwertfeger 13 XI 1220 (November 13th 1220)
    A Schwertfeger was someone who sharpened sword blades, @the blacksmith probably knows the proper term in English.
    - Burgbaumritter 25 XI 1223 (November 25th 1223)
    Ritter is knight, but I have no idea what type of knight a 'Burgbaumritter' was. Since Burg means fortress or castle, I suspect he may have been in charge of the defense of the palace of Kyffhäuser.
    - Repeatedly chancellor and knight of the throne.

    Gemalt von Pfalzgraf Götz von Berlichingen 1228.
    Painted by palatine earl Götz von Berlichingen 1228.

    The information above is about the original painting.
    Below the line is information about your copy:

    (Otto Weigert / West N.Y. / N.J. gemalt von Karl Deichmann / N.Y. /Scheiding (Sept) 1928)

    'Gemalt von' means painted by.
    So this was painted by Karl Deichmann in New York.
    I suspect he painted fellow German immigrant Otto Weigert from West New York, NJ, posing as Adalbert von Everstein.
    So in spite of the historic subject, the face we are looking at is probably Otto Weigert's face.

    I did the 'German connection', but I am sure one of our US members will help you find out more about Karl Deichmann and Otto Weigert in NY and NJ.
     
    Last edited: Jul 25, 2024
  9. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

  10. komokwa

    komokwa The Truth is out there...!

    I'm guessing u ran out of words or became exhausted after that last post !!!

    Rest up !
    :happy::kiss::kiss:
     
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  11. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    That too.:hungover: I was getting dizzy towards the end, but wanted to finish the whole thing.;)

    Also, I found an Adalbert von Everstein who I thought could be the right one, only to discover that he died in 1217 or so. So he couldn't have been 'our' Adalbert.
    :happy::kiss:
     
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  12. evelyb30

    evelyb30 Well-Known Member

    Better than I could have done with the German, for sure. Not that it takes much.
     
  13. Boland

    Boland Well-Known Member

    Great and interesting information. Thank you AJ
     
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  14. Roaring20s

    Roaring20s Well-Known Member

  15. architrave

    architrave Well-Known Member

    From familysearch:

    Name Karl Deichmann
    Sex Male
    Age 67
    Birth Date 1863
    Birthplace Holland
    Residence Place NYC
    Address 109 E 89 St
    Burial Date 26 Jul 1930
    Marital Status Single
    Occupation painter
    Race White
    Father's Name Herman Deichmann
    Father's Sex Male
    Father's Birthplace Germany
    Mother's Name Alida Hockveldt
    Mother's Sex Female
    Mother's Birthplace Holland
    Event Type Death
    Event Date 23 Jul 1930
    Event Place Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States
    Certificate Number cn 17987
    Cemetery Fresh Pond Crematory
    Note 42y in US, 25y in city

    Not entirely clear that painter means artist, but I also found this in the Dordrecht Museum visitors book, indicating that he was a Dutch-German artist:
    "1888 - Karl Deichmann, kunstschilder, Rotterdam (23/8 1888)"

    https://www.dordtenazoeker.nl/hulpbronnendordrecht/dordrechts_museum_bezoekersregister/11

    But he wasn't always an artist In the 1910 Brooklyn census he's described as a "Musical Director".

    He seems to have crossed the Atlantic several times during his residence in New York.
     
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