View source for Adam Elsheimer

{{short description|German painter}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox artist
| honorific_prefix = 
| name = Adam Elsheimer
| honorific_suffix = 
| image = Elsheimer, Adam - Self-portrait.jpg
| image_size = 
| alt = 
| caption = Self-portrait at the [[Uffizi Gallery]], Florence
| native_name = 
| native_name_lang = 
| birth_name = <!--only use if different from name-->
| birth_date = 18 March 1578
| birth_place = [[Frankfurt am Main]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1610|12|11|1578|03|18|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Rome]]
| resting_place = [[San Lorenzo in Lucina]], Rome
| resting_place_coordinates = <!-- {{Coord|LAT|LONG|type:landmark|display=inline}} -->
| nationality = German
| education = [[Friedrich Brentel]]<br/>[[Johann Rottenhammer]]
| alma_mater = 
| known_for = 
| notable_works = [[The Flight into Egypt (Elsheimer)|The Flight into Egypt]]
| style = 
| movement = 
| spouse = Carla Antonia Stuart (1606–1610)
| awards = <!-- {{awd|award|year|title|role|name}} (optional) -->
| elected = [[Accademia di San Luca|Accademia di San Luca, Rome (1606)]]
| patrons = [[Francesco Maria del Monte]]<ref name=Howard>{{cite journal|last1=Howard|first1=Deborah|title=Elsheimer's Flight into Egypt and the Night Sky in the Renaissance|journal=Zeitschrift für Kunstgeschichte|date=1992|volume=55|issue=2|pages=212–224|doi=10.2307/1482611|jstor=1482611}}</ref>
| memorials = 
| website = <!-- {{URL|Example.com}} -->
| module = 
}}

'''Adam Elsheimer''' (18 March 1578 &ndash; 11 December 1610)<ref>{{Cite web|title=Adam Elsheimer (1578 - 1610) {{!}} National Gallery, London|url=https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/artists/adam-elsheimer|access-date=2021-03-04|website=www.nationalgallery.org.uk}}</ref> was a German artist working in Rome, who died at only thirty-two, but was very influential in the early 17th century in the field of [[Baroque painting]]s. His relatively few paintings were small-scale, nearly all painted [[Oil on copper | on copper plates]], of the type often known as [[cabinet painting]]s. They include a variety of light effects, and an innovative treatment of landscape. He was an influence on many other artists, including [[Rembrandt]] and [[Peter Paul Rubens]].

== Life and work ==
[[File:Frankfurt am Main Einhornplätzchen.jpg|thumb|Photo of 1900 of the house in Frankfurt where Elsheimer was born and grew up. Destroyed 1944.]]

Elsheimer was born in [[Frankfurt am Main]], one of ten children and the son of a master tailor.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Adam Elsheimer|url=https://sammlung.staedelmuseum.de/en/person/elsheimer-adam|access-date=2021-03-04|website=Digital Collection|language=en}}</ref> His father's house (which survived until destroyed by [[Bombing of Frankfurt am Main in World War II|Allied bombs]] in 1944) was a few metres from the church where [[Albrecht Dürer]]'s ''Heller Altarpiece'' was then displayed.  He was apprenticed to the artist [[Philipp Uffenbach]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Discovering the World in Detail|url=https://www.staedelmuseum.de/en/exhibitions/discovering-world-detail|access-date=2021-03-04|website=Städel Museum|language=en}}</ref> He probably visited [[Strasbourg]] in 1596. At the age of twenty, he travelled to [[Italy]] via [[Munich]], where he was documented in 1598.<ref name=Gronert>{{cite journal|last1=Gronert|first1=Stefan|title=Adam Elsheimer in Venedig?. Eine kritische Betrachtung zweier Dokumente|journal=Marburger Jahrbuch für Kunstwissenschaft|date=2003|volume=30|pages=211–216|jstor=1348750|publisher=Verlag des Kunstgeschichtlichen Seminars der Philipps-Universität Marburg|location=Marburg|language=de}}</ref>

His stay in [[Venice, Italy|Venice]] is undocumented, but the influence on his style is clear. He probably worked as an assistant to [[Johann Rottenhammer]], some of whose drawings he owned.<ref>Klessmann, 16</ref> Rottenhammer was a German who had been living in Italy for some years, and was the first German painter to specialize in [[cabinet painting]]s. Uffenbach had specialized in large altarpieces, and although Elsheimer's earliest small paintings on copper seem to date from before he arrived in Italy, Rottenhammer's influence is clear in his mature work.<ref name=Gronert/>

Elsheimer is believed to have produced some significant works in Venice, such as ''The Baptism of Christ ''([[National Gallery, London]]) and ''The Holy Family'' ([[Gemäldegalerie, Berlin]]) which show the influence of the Venetian painters [[Tintoretto]] and [[Paolo Veronese]], as well as Rottenhammer.
[[Image:Adam Elsheimer - Der Brand von Troja (Alte Pinakothek).jpg|thumb|''The burning of Troy'', c. 1604, [[Alte Pinakothek]], 36 x 50&nbsp;cm]]

===Rome===
In early 1600, Elsheimer arrived in [[Rome]] and quickly made friends with contacts of Rottenhammer, notably [[Giovanni Faber]], a Papal doctor, botanist and collector originally from [[Bamberg]]. He was Curator of the [[Gardens of Vatican City|Vatican Botanical Garden]], and a member of the [[Accademia dei Lincei]], a small intellectual coterie founded in 1603, and mainly concerned with the natural sciences.

Another friend of Rottenhammer was the Flemish landscape painter [[Paul Bril]], already established in Rome, who was (with Faber) a witness at Elsheimer's marriage, painted a picture together with him (now [[Chatsworth House]]), and was owed money by him at his death. Like Faber, Bril was a long-term resident in Rome who had converted from [[Lutheranism]] to [[Catholicism]], as Elsheimer did later.

Both Faber and Bril knew [[Peter Paul Rubens|Rubens]], who was in [[Rome]] in 1601, and who became another friend, later reproaching Elsheimer for not producing more work. He knew [[David Teniers the Elder]], recently Rubens' pupil, and there is evidence that they lodged together. In 1604 [[Karel van Mander]], a Dutchman recently returned from Rome, published his ''Schilder-Boeck'' which praised Elsheimer's work, and described him as slow-working and making few drawings. He also spent much time in churches, studying the works of the masters.  Other writers mention his exceptional visual memory, his melancholy and his kind-heartedness. In a letter after his death, [[Peter Paul Rubens|Rubens]] wrote: "he had no equal in small figures, landscapes, and in many other subjects. ...one could have expected things from him that one has never seen before and never will see." 
[[Image:Adam Elsheimer 004.jpg|thumb|left|200px|''Holy Family with St John the Baptist'', 37.5 x 24&nbsp;cm, Berlin-]]
In 1606, Elsheimer married Carola Antonia Stuarda da Francoforte (i.e. Stuart of Frankfurt – she was of Scottish ancestry and a fellow Frankfurter), and in 1609 they had a son. The son was not mentioned in a census a year later, possibly (Klessman says optimistically) because he had been put out to a [[wet-nurse]]. She was the recent widow of the artist Nicolas de Breul (born in [[Verdun]]) and after Elsheimer's death remarried an Italian artist, Ascanio Quercia, within a year of his death. Elsheimer converted to Catholicism by 1608 (possibly 1606). He was admitted to the [[Accademia di San Luca]], the Roman painters' [[Guild]], in 1606, giving them a self-portrait (his only portrait, and only painting on canvas) now in the [[Uffizi]]. In spite of his fame and talents, he appears to have both lived and died in difficult financial circumstances.

Elsheimer's painting of ''[[Tobias and the Angel]]'' (1602–1603; the "small" Tobias, now at Frankfurt) was especially well received because of its new conception of landscape.  This picture was engraved by Count [[Hendrick Goudt]] and as a result, was published across Europe.  However, his association with Goudt, who lodged and trained with him for several years, was difficult. Elsheimer seems to have borrowed money from Goudt, which according to one account resulted in his brief incarceration in [[Debtor's prison]]. After Elsheimer's early death in 1610 in Rome, Goudt owned several of his pictures.  Goudt made seven [[engraving]]s of Elsheimer's paintings, which were crucial in spreading his influence, as very few of his paintings were viewable even by artists; as [[cabinet painting]]s they were mostly kept in small and very private rooms.

Elsheimer had a definite preference for choosing rare or original subjects, both for his mythological and religious paintings. ''[[Jupiter (mythology)|Jupiter]] and [[Mercury (mythology)|Mercury]] in the house of [[Baucis and Philemon|Philemon and Baucis]]'', (c. 1608, now [[Dresden]]) is based on an episode in [[Ovid]], and had never been painted before. ''The Mocking of [[Ceres (mythology)|Ceres]] ''([[Kingston, Ontario]], a copy exists in the [[Museo del Prado|Prado]]), ''[[Apollo]] and [[Coronis (mythology)|Coronis]]'' (Liverpool), and ''Il Contento'' (Edinburgh) were equally new. Some of his religious scenes were more conventional, but his selection of the moment to depict, as in ''[[St Lawrence]] prepared for Martyrdom'' (London), is often unusual.

== Influence ==
[[Image:Raphael and Tobias.jpg|thumb|Copy after the large ''[[Tobias and the Angel]]'', [[National Gallery, London]] 19 × 28&nbsp;cm]]
[[Image:Adam Elsheimer 012.jpg|thumb|''The Exaltation of the Cross'' from the Frankfurt Tabernacle, c. 1605, 48 × 35&nbsp;cm]]

His perfectionism, and an apparent tendency to depression, resulted in a small total output, despite the small size of all his pictures. In all about forty paintings are now generally agreed to be by him (see Kressmann below). He made a few etchings, but not very successfully. However, his work was highly regarded by other artists and a few important collectors for its quality. He had a clear and direct influence on other Northern artists who were in Rome such as [[Paul Bril]], [[Jan Pynas]], [[Leonaert Bramer]] and [[Pieter Lastman]], later [[Rembrandt]]'s master, who was probably in Rome by 1605. Rembrandt's first dated work is a ''Stoning of St Stephen'' which appears to be a response to Elsheimer's painting of the subject, now in Edinburgh. Some works by Italian artists, such as the six pictures from [[Ovid]] by [[Carlo Saraceni]] now in the [[Museo di Capodimonte]], [[Naples]], also show Elsheimer's clear influence. [[Peter Paul Rubens|Rubens]], who owned at least four of his works, knew Elsheimer in Rome, and praised him highly in a letter after his death.

In a wider sense, he was influential in three respects. Firstly his night scenes were highly original. His lighting effects in general were very subtle, and very different from those of [[Caravaggio]]. He often uses as many as five different sources of light. He graduates the light relatively gently, with the less well-lit parts of the composition often containing important parts of it.

Secondly, his combination of poetic landscape with large foreground figures gives the landscape a prominence that had rarely been seen since the Early Renaissance. His landscapes do not always feature an extensive view; often the lushness of the vegetation closes it off. They are more realistic, but no less poetic, than those of Bril or [[Jan Brueghel the Elder|Jan Brueghel]], and play a part in the formation of those of [[Poussin]] and [[Claude Lorrain|Claude]]. His treatment of large figures with a landscape backdrop looks forward, through [[Peter Paul Rubens|Rubens]] and [[Anthony van Dyck|van Dyck]], to the English portrait in the eighteenth century. Soon after his death, he became very popular with English collectors, notably [[King Charles I of England]], the [[Thomas Howard, 21st Earl of Arundel|Earl of Arundel]], and [[George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham]], and over half his paintings have been in English collections at some time (nearly one third are still in the UK).

Thirdly, his integration of Italian styles with the German tradition he was trained in is perhaps more effective than that of any Northern painter since [[Dürer]] (with the exception of his friend [[Rubens]]). His compositions tend to underplay the drama of the events they depict (in noticeable contrast to those of Rubens), but often show the start of moments of transformation. His figures are relatively short and stocky, and reflect little of classical ideals. Their poses and gestures are unflamboyant, and their facial expressions resemble those in Early Netherlandish painting rather than the ''[[bella figura]]'' of most Italian Renaissance work.

== Galleries ==
The largest collection of his work is in [[Frankfurt]]. The [[Alte Pinakothek]], Munich has two of his finest night-scene paintings, and Berlin, Bonn, Dresden and Hamburg have paintings. The [[National Gallery, London]] has three paintings with others in the [[National Gallery of Scotland]], [[Edinburgh]], [[Apsley House]], [[Windsor Castle]], [[Petworth House]], the [[Wellcome Library]] and [[Liverpool]]. In 2006 an exhibition at the [[Städel]], [[Frankfurt]], then Edinburgh, and the [[Dulwich Gallery]] in London reunited almost all of his oeuvre.<ref>"Discovering the World in Detail" exhibition [https://web.archive.org/web/20070825104116/http://www.nationalgalleries.org/whatson/exhibition/5%3A368/4367 Edinburgh information]. For the catalogue by Rüdiger Klessmann and others, see References.</ref>

There are drawings in Paris (Musée du [[Louvre]]) and [[Edinburgh]] among other locations.

Only two works are on public display outside Europe. One is in the [[Kimbell Art Museum]], [[Fort Worth]] (''The Flight into Egypt''),<ref name=Kimbell>{{cite web|last1=Kimbell Art Museum|title=The Flight into Egypt|url=https://www.kimbellart.org/collection-object/flight-egypt|website=kimbellart.org|publisher=Kimbell Art Museum|access-date=9 March 2015}}</ref> and the other is the ''Mocking of Ceres'', now in the [[Agnes Etherington Art Centre]] in Kingston, Ontario,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aeac.ca/exhibitions/current/diamonds.html |title=Etherington |publisher=Aeac.ca |date=2012-08-12 |access-date=2014-01-15}}</ref> badly damaged by fire at some point in its history; it had been part of the [[Dutch Gift]] to [[Charles II of England]] in 1660.<ref>Klessmann, pp.&nbsp;138&ndash;145, 198, 205 (the last two on the provenance, on which the authors seem not wholly in accord)</ref>

==Examples of his work==
<gallery>
File:Adam Elsheimer 011.jpg|''Venus and Cupid'', c. 1600, Berlin
File:Adam Elsheimer - The Flight into Egypt - Google Art Project.jpg|''The Flight into Egypt'', oil on silvered copper, c. 1605, only 9.8&nbsp;cm high, [[Kimbell Art Museum]]
File:1605 Elsheimer Die Verleugnung Petri anagoria.JPG|The Denial of Peter, 1605, [[Städelsches Kunstinstitut]]
File:Adam Elsheimer - Apollo and Coronis - Google Art Project.jpg|''Apollo and Coronis'', 1606–08
File:Adam Elsheimer - Latona und die lykischen Bauern.jpg|''Latona and the [[Lycian peasants]]'', 1607/1608, [[Wallraf-Richartz Museum]]
File:Adam Elsheimer - Die Flucht nach Ägypten (Alte Pinakothek) 2.jpg|''[[The Flight into Egypt (Elsheimer)|The Flight into Egypt]]'' (c. 1609), [[Alte Pinakothek]], Munich—perhaps his most famous night scene
File:Adam Elsheimer - Philemon and Baucis.jpg|''Jupiter and Mercury in the house of Philemon and Baucis'', c. 1608, Dresden, 17 x 22&nbsp;cm
File:Ceres and Stelio.jpg|Adam Elsheimer, ''[https://library.nga.gov/permalink/01NGA_INST/1p5jkvq/alma991638123804896 Ceres and Stelio]'', 19th century, photogravure, [https://www.nga.gov/research/library/imagecollections.html Department of Image Collections, National Gallery of Art Library, Washington, DC]
File:Adam Elsheimer - Tobias und der Engel (ca. 1606).jpg|The "small Tobias", [[Tobias and the Angel]], 1607/8, Frankfurt
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[List of German painters]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== Main source ==
Source unless otherwise stated
* Rüdiger Klessmann and others, ''Adam Elsheimer 1578-1610'', 2006, Paul Holberton publishing/National Galleries of Scotland; {{ISBN|1-903278-78-3}}

==Further reading==
* [[Keith Andrews (art historian)|Andrews, Keith]]: ''Adam Elsheimer. Werkverzeichnis der Gemälde, Zeichnungen und Radierungen.'' München: Schirmer/Mosel, 1985; {{ISBN|3-88814-142-7}}; erweiterte Neuauflage 2006. {{ISBN|3-8296-0244-8}}
* Bachner, Franziska. "Gleichartigkeit und Gegensatz: Zur Figurenbildung bei Adam Elsheimer". In: ''Städel-Jahrbuch''. Neue Folge, Bd. 16, 1997, S. 249–256.
* Bachner, Franziska. ''Figur und Erzählung in der Kunst Adam Elsheimers''. Würzburg, 2006. (Dissertation, Universität Würzburg, 1995).
* Baumstark, Reinhold (Hrsg.). ''Von Neuen Sternen. Adam Elsheimers "Flucht nach Ägypten". Anlässlich der Ausstellung Von Neuen Sternen. Adam Elsheimers Flucht nach Ägypten, Alte Pinakothek, München, 17. Dezember 2005 bis 26. Februar 2006''. Katalog von [[Marcus Dekiert]]. Köln: DuMont, 2005. {{ISBN|3-8321-7583-0}}
* Bell, Julian. ''Natural Light: The Art of Adam Elsheimer and the Dawn of Modern Science''. Thames & Hudson, 2023.
* {{NDB|4|465|466|Elsheimer, Adam|Holzinger, Ernst|118810936}}
* Klessmann, Rüdiger u. a. ''Im Detail die Welt entdecken: Adam Elsheimer 1578–1610. Ausstellungskatalog des [[Städelsches Kunstinstitut|Städel-Museums]], Frankfurt am Main''. Frankfurt am Main: Edition Minerva, 2006. {{ISBN|3-938832-06-1}}
* Lenz, Christian. ''Adam Elsheimer. Die Gemälde im Städel''. Ausstellung 1977 im Städelschen Kunstinstitut. Frankfurt am Main: Städel, 1977.
* Sello, Gottfried. ''Adam Elsheimer''. München: Beck, 1988. {{ISBN|3-406-32026-0}}
* Thielemann, Andreas & Stefan Gronert (Hrsg.) ''Adam Elsheimer in Rom: Werk – Kontext – Wirkung''. München: Hirmer, 2008. {{ISBN|978-3-7774-4255-6}}
* {{Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie|6|66|66|Elsheimer, Adam|Woltmann, Alfred|ADB:Elsheimer, Adam}}
* Parlato, Enrico, Elsheimer, Adam, in Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, 42, 1993, https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/adam-elsheimer_(Dizionario-Biografico)/?search=ELSHEIMER%2C%20Adam


==External links==
{{Commons-inline}}
*[http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/e/elsheime/ Web Gallery of Art]
*[http://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15324coll10/id/13424 ''Orazio and Artemisia Gentileschi''], a fully digitized exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries, which contains material on Adam Elsheimer (see index)
*[http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/elsheimer_adam.html Artcyclopedia]

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Elsheimer, Adam}}
[[Category:1578 births]]
[[Category:1610 deaths]]
[[Category:Painters from Frankfurt]]
[[Category:17th-century German painters]]
[[Category:German male painters]]
[[Category:German Mannerist painters]]
[[Category:Painters from Rome]]
[[Category:German Roman Catholics]]