Lviv sculptor Hartmann Witwer and his artistic family from Imst. New archive find and studies.

Abstract

Basing the information of the metric books from the church of the Assumption of the Virgin in Imst (Austria) the Hartmann Witwer date of birth – 22 December 1776 – was specified. Special gratitude is paid to Josef Mair for his assistance in catching out this document that is published for the first time. It was proofed that “Hartmann Witwer” is a true name and surname of sculptor from Austria, who worked in Lviv at the beginning of the XIX century. It was studied out that H. Witwer didn’t have second name as his father Joseph Anton Witwer or his brother Johann Michael Witwer. Using mathematic calculation the mistakes in Lviv documents fixed the date of sculptors’ death as 1825 was find out. The found certificate verified relationship of Hartmann Witwer and Witwer sculptors dynasty from Imst. For the first time it was revealed that Hartmann Witwer was a younger brother of Johann Michael Witwer, and he was not his elder brother or they were not twins as it was considered before. History of Witwers’ artistic family from Imst, members of which during more than one hundred years were making sculptures in the atelier that was inherited from father to son was studied. Directions of sculptural activity of H. Witwers’ grandfathers in the period of their activity and the areal of spreading their works were outlined. Artistic peculiarities of art pieces of the prominent representatives of the family were highlighted. Provably reasons which caused the end of the sculptor dynasty were analyzed in the article. Basing on the special features of the creative process in the family atelier in Imst the hypothesis of principles of cooperation between Hartmann and his brother Johann Michael Witwer in Lviv was proposed.