Featured Medieval Knight painting with German writing on verso

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"

 

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.

 

This is great information! Thank you!! Looking over the wording I see where the Karl Deichmann is listed. Who would Otto Weigert be then?

 

And curiously, Do you know what all of the other names with the dates 1219, 1220, and 1223 stand for?

 

https://de-m-wikipedia-org.translat...tr_sl=de&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc

Found the Earldom if that's any help.

 

Did your's come framed like this ...

This image came up associated with Live Auctioneers, but did not link to the sale of it.

 

Everstein is not an earldom, it is a duchy (a bit like me). 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.

 

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.

 

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

Rest up !

 

That too. 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.

 

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

 

Great and interesting information. Thank you AJ

 

Maybe the same painter? It too is a copy of another work.
https://www.mutualart.com/Artwork/Romantic-scene/ACBF4BE65D0E265B6E90B8059644BA29

 

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.