DOI Artikel:
Kozieł, Andrzej: Michael Wilmann - i. e. David Heidenreich: the "Rudolphian" drawings by Michael Willmann
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.18946#0068
Andrzej Koziel
Michael Willmann - i. e. David
Heidenreich. The "Rudolphian"
Drawings of Michael Willmann*
Throughout the history of the study of drawings by the old masters there
have not been many attributive mistakes with such dire consequences the scale
of the one committed around the middle of the 18th century by an unknown
Wroclaw (Breslau) collector possessing a sizeable collection of drawings left
behind by painter Johann Eybelwieser, co-worker of Michael Willmann. In an
attempt at that time to separate the works of the master from those of the
pupil, characteristic inscriptions (M. Willman,M. Willmanfec. orJ. Eybelwiser,
J. Eybelwiser fee.) put on by the same hand appeared on all the drawings.
Although the collector, for the most part, correctly ascribed many of the works
to Eybelwiser, he also, however, ascribed to the much more famous Willmann
more than 60 works out of which not one turned out to have actually been
executed by him. This first evident act of Wroclaw connoisseurship set
a precedent for the way Willmann’s creative style has been viewed, causing
future art historians to be faced with the phenomenon which E. Kloss described
as “das Reichtum der zeichnerischen Möglichkeiten” of the artist.2
Among the works ascribed to Willmann by the 18th century Wroclaw
collector, those bearing a decidedly Mannerist aspect first gained the attention of
art historians. E. Kloss was the first to notice a very close stylistic resemblance
between certain works derivatively signed by Willmann and those of
Bartholomaeus Sprangen ' The Mannerist character of some of the works also
gained the attention of Elans Möhle who, based on Joachim von Sandrart’s
* This article presents part of the results of the research project no. 1 HO IE 005 10 financed
by the State Research Committee (Komitet Badan Naukowych).
1 The history and problems connected with the questions of authorship of Michael Willmann’s
drawings will be further discussed in a monograph on the drawings of the artist. For more on the
early drawings of the artist see, A. Koziel, “Michaela Willmanna droga ‘na szczyty sztuki’. Wczesne
rysunki artysty w grafikach Josefa Gregory.’ego”, Biuletyn Historii Sztuki, LVIII, 1996, nos. 3-4,
pp. 285-306.
2 Kloss 1934, p. 145.
3 Ibid., pertains to works cat. nos. 17 and 19.
66
Michael Willmann - i. e. David
Heidenreich. The "Rudolphian"
Drawings of Michael Willmann*
Throughout the history of the study of drawings by the old masters there
have not been many attributive mistakes with such dire consequences the scale
of the one committed around the middle of the 18th century by an unknown
Wroclaw (Breslau) collector possessing a sizeable collection of drawings left
behind by painter Johann Eybelwieser, co-worker of Michael Willmann. In an
attempt at that time to separate the works of the master from those of the
pupil, characteristic inscriptions (M. Willman,M. Willmanfec. orJ. Eybelwiser,
J. Eybelwiser fee.) put on by the same hand appeared on all the drawings.
Although the collector, for the most part, correctly ascribed many of the works
to Eybelwiser, he also, however, ascribed to the much more famous Willmann
more than 60 works out of which not one turned out to have actually been
executed by him. This first evident act of Wroclaw connoisseurship set
a precedent for the way Willmann’s creative style has been viewed, causing
future art historians to be faced with the phenomenon which E. Kloss described
as “das Reichtum der zeichnerischen Möglichkeiten” of the artist.2
Among the works ascribed to Willmann by the 18th century Wroclaw
collector, those bearing a decidedly Mannerist aspect first gained the attention of
art historians. E. Kloss was the first to notice a very close stylistic resemblance
between certain works derivatively signed by Willmann and those of
Bartholomaeus Sprangen ' The Mannerist character of some of the works also
gained the attention of Elans Möhle who, based on Joachim von Sandrart’s
* This article presents part of the results of the research project no. 1 HO IE 005 10 financed
by the State Research Committee (Komitet Badan Naukowych).
1 The history and problems connected with the questions of authorship of Michael Willmann’s
drawings will be further discussed in a monograph on the drawings of the artist. For more on the
early drawings of the artist see, A. Koziel, “Michaela Willmanna droga ‘na szczyty sztuki’. Wczesne
rysunki artysty w grafikach Josefa Gregory.’ego”, Biuletyn Historii Sztuki, LVIII, 1996, nos. 3-4,
pp. 285-306.
2 Kloss 1934, p. 145.
3 Ibid., pertains to works cat. nos. 17 and 19.
66