Durham E-Theses Tacitus and nationalism in nineteenth-century art WARREN, RICHARD How to cite: WARREN, RICHARD (2014) Tacitus and nationalism in nineteenth-century art, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/9502/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk Material Abstract Author: Richard Warren Title: Tacitus and nationalism in nineteenth-century art In the nineteenth century artists patronised by national, imperial and aristocratic elites in Europe turned to Tacitus and other classical sources for inspiration in defining the national and ethnic ideal of these patrons. This is a phenomenon that was particularly evident in the German-speaking countries of central Europe, where the figure of Arminius from Tacitus' Annals was represented in many different artistic media, from painting to monumental sculpture. In the German states themselves depictions often followed a similar prescription, which took their inspiration from the plays of Freidrich Gottlieb Klopstock and Heinrich von Kleist, which dramatised the victory of Arminius (or 'Hermann') over Quinctilius Varus and his Roman army. The national context of the time was complicated by the process of unification and the reach of German language and culture beyond the borders of what was in the later century united in the new German Reich. Use was also made of figures drawn from Tacitus in nineteenth-century Britain. In this thesis I also examine how Boadicea and Calgacus were employed in national and local contexts during a period when Britain's imperial power was at its height. It is shown that here too the approach taken by artists to their subject matter in a nationalist context was not always predictable. Examining both central Europe and Britain it compares different case studies, to demonstrate something of the flexibility possible in the treatment of an – at first sight – straightforward theme from classical literature. It will also be explored how the political and artistic contexts of the respective periods in which artists lived variously affected – or did not affect - their treatment of the themes. The extent to which one can analyse their individual portrayals as 'nationalist', or under the influence of 'nationalist' themes, is explored. 1 Title Page Title: Tacitus and nationalism in nineteenth-century art Number of volumes: 1 Name of author: Richard Warren Qualification for which thesis submitted: PhD Department: Department of Classics and Ancient History Name of institution: Durham Univerity Year of submission: 2013 2 Contents List of illustrations..............................................................................................................................6 Introduction.........................................................................................................................................9 Overview and key questions...........................................................................................................9 Methodology..................................................................................................................................11 Tacitus and his works....................................................................................................................15 Tacitus........................................................................................................................................15 Arminius ...................................................................................................................................24 Boadicea....................................................................................................................................26 Calgacus....................................................................................................................................28 Early transmission.....................................................................................................................31 The nineteenth century..................................................................................................................34 Background to reception...........................................................................................................34 Classics, nationalism and empire..............................................................................................36 Germany, Austria and the east...................................................................................................38 Art Centres................................................................................................................................40 Germanic and Celtic revivalism................................................................................................42 I. Central Europe...............................................................................................................................45 Angelica Kauffman.......................................................................................................................45 Hermann and Thusnelda............................................................................................................45 Angelica Kauffman...................................................................................................................47 An imperial commission...........................................................................................................50 Education and other works........................................................................................................54 Kauffman and her contemporaries............................................................................................60 Kauffman and nationalism?......................................................................................................65 Caspar David Friedrich.................................................................................................................70 Felsental (Das Grab des Arminius)...........................................................................................70 Gräber gefallener Freiheitskrieger (Grabmale alter Helden)....................................................73 Friedrich and the patriotic movement.......................................................................................75 Der Chasseur im Walde.............................................................................................................81 Huttens Grab.............................................................................................................................85 The observer in Friedrich's paintings........................................................................................88 Graves, death and memory in Friedrich's paintings..................................................................90 Copenhagen and Dresden connections.....................................................................................93 Ernst von Bandel...........................................................................................................................98 Hermannsdenkmal.....................................................................................................................98 Bandel and the monument's construction...............................................................................100 Bandel's use of Tacitus............................................................................................................103 Other works.............................................................................................................................106 Contemporary reactions..........................................................................................................109 3 Ludwig von Schwanthaler...........................................................................................................118 Walhalla north pediment.........................................................................................................118 Analysis...................................................................................................................................120 The Walhalla............................................................................................................................122 Ludwig von Schwanthaler......................................................................................................125 Arminius, Greece and Klenze's world view............................................................................128 Ludwig I and Arminius...........................................................................................................135 Joseph Bergler.............................................................................................................................139