A five-year education in lithography at the Collegium Carolinum in his native Brunswick launched the career of Bernhard Plockhorst, a German painter and illustrator who would later command international reach. While his legacy remains primarily within academic circles in Germany, his religious imagery achieved vast, enduring popularity across the United States, appearing in countless homes and ecclesiastical windows.
Artistic Training and Early Development
Plockhorst sought comprehensive training across the European artistic landscape. In 1848, he studied painting with Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld in Dresden. His education continued under Carl von Piloty in Leipzig and Munich, where he focused on copying works by Rubens and Titian at the Old Pinakothek. His technical foundation solidified in 1853 under Thomas Couture in Paris. Following study travels through Belgium, the Netherlands, and Italy, he settled in Berlin to establish his career.
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Between 1866 and 1869, Plockhorst served as a professor at the Grandducal Saxonian Art School in Weimar, where he instructed pupils including Otto Piltz. As a member of the late Nazarene movement, his work reflected an interest in Medieval religious themes and a Pre-Raphaelite influence. His chief work, The Battle of archangel Michael with Satan for the body of Moses, was exhibited in 1872 and is now held at the Städtisches Museum in Cologne. Other notable religious compositions include The Resurrection of Christ, created for the cathedral of Marienburg, and The Guardian Angel, which gained widespread influence through thousands of lithographic reproductions.
Portraiture and Editorial Illustration
Beyond religious subjects, Plockhorst was an active portraitist for German society. His subjects included musician Franz Liszt, publisher Tauchnitz, Carl Lampe, David Hansemann, and the Platzmann children. He also captured the German nobility, including Emperor Wilhelm I. His work as an illustrator appeared in various books by the Tauchnitz publishing house, including titles by Dinah Maria Mulock Craik and Charlotte M. Yonge. His success in this field extended to books such as Karl Gerok’s From Bethlehem to Golgotha and Philipp Spitta’s Psalter and harp.
The Transit of Noli me tangere
His oil painting Noli me tangere experienced a documented restoration process after the ship Sorata, carrying the work, stranded on rocks near Australia in 1880. Upon recovery, the surface appeared destroyed by seawater. However, restorer George Peacock determined the white encrustation was merely plaster of Paris from the frame. The painting was subsequently purchased by art dealer Alexander Fletcher and entered the collection of the National Gallery of Victoria.
Fast facts
- Born: 1825, Brunswick, Duchy of Brunswick
- Died: 1907, Berlin
- Primary occupations: Painter, lithographer, illustrator, university teacher
- Academic position: Professor, Grandducal Saxonian Art School, Weimar
- Notable work: The Battle of archangel Michael with Satan for the body of Moses
- Notable portrait: Franz Liszt (1857)
- Burial site: Stahnsdorf South-Western Cemetery
Questions readers ask
Was Plockhorst's work popular during his lifetime?
Yes, his religious paintings were highly influential, with reproductions of works like The Guardian Angel reaching thousands of homes, and his illustrations appearing in successful published volumes.
Where can his work be found today?
His paintings are located in various museums, such as the Städtisches Museum in Cologne and the National Gallery of Victoria, while his influence persists in the glass windows of numerous American churches.
