603 



OVERBECK, FRIEDRICH. 



OVERBtJRY, SIR THOMAS. 



BOS 



3, 'A Treatise on Trigonometry,' 4to, 1657. This book was afterwards 

 published in Latin, in 1667, by Stokes and Haughtou. 



We refer for more particulars concerning Oughtred to Aubrey's 

 ' Lives,' and manuscript addit., Mus. Brit., 4223. Many of his papers 

 are now in the valuable library of the Earl of Macclesfield. 



'OVERBECK, FRIEDRICH, was born at Ltibeck on the 3rd of 

 July 1789. His artistic studies were commenced at an early age, and 

 the peculiar bent of his mind ia said to have first shown itself, if it was 

 not evoked, in the contemplation of Memling's picture of the Cruci- 

 fixion in one of the churches of his native city. His academic course 

 was passed through at Vienna, and on its completion he proceeded, in 

 1810, to Rome. Here in concert with Pforr, a countryman, fellow 

 student, and attached friend, he devoted himself with intense ardour 

 to the study of the early Italian masters. For many years the German 

 school of painting, partly under the influence of the dominant French 

 taste, and partly guided by the maxims and practice of Mengs, had 

 been seeking inspiration almost exclusively from classic sources, and 

 drawing its technical principles from the study of the later painters of 

 Italy. But coincident with the casting off the trammels of modern 

 French criticism and ancient forms in literature, there had been growing 

 up a desire for a return to a less academic or eclectic system in art ; 

 and Friedrich Schl^gel, a leading critical advocate of the Romantic 

 school in literature, was the herald and prophet of the new school of 

 national German art. Overbeck was well prepared to become one of 

 the founders of such a school. Cornelius had adopted nearly similar 

 views as to the regeneration of German art, and he joined Overbeck at 

 Rome in 1811. Under CORNELIUS (vol. ii. col. 392) we have stated 

 how, with the assistance of Ph. Veith, Schadow, J. von Schnorr, Pforr, 

 and others, the two young painters, iu the face of opposition and 

 ridicule, persevered in their great undertaking, till they drew on their 

 side the almost unanimous suffrages of their countrymen, and com- 

 manded the homage of the students and lovers of art throughout the 

 world. His ' Madonna,' painted in 1811, was Overbeck's earliest work 

 of importance. Of the famous frescoes in the Villa Bartholdy, which 

 were the first great works painted by the young German artists, Over- 

 beck executed two, 'Joseph sold into Captivity by his Brethren," and 

 'TheSeven Years of Dearth," which were generally regarded as justifying 

 his position as the head of the new school ; the ' Seven Years of Dearth' 

 is well known from the engraving by C. Barth in the Atlas to Rac- 

 zynski's ' Histoire de 1'Art Moderne en Allemagne." 



Deeply imbued with devotional feelings, Overbeck in giving himself 

 up to the study of the somewhat mystical principles of religious art 

 propounded by F. Scblegel, soon came to adopt alao his theological 

 views, and, in company with several other of the band of young 

 German painters, he in 1814 formally abjured Luiheranism and entered 

 the communion of the Roman Catholic Church. From this time he 

 may be said to have devoted himself almost exclusively to the carrying 

 out of his views of Christian art. He fixed his residence at Rome, 

 which he has only once or twjce left in order to pay a hasty visit to 

 Germany ; and there he has quietly laboured in his vocation, living in 

 comparative retirement, but always exhibiting a warm interest in the 

 progress of art and the fortunes of artists. Overbeck has exerted a 

 vast influence on modern art, and though the present race of rising 

 painters in Germany are quitting the severity of his religious style for 

 a freer and more romantic manner, his influence is still felt and acknow- 

 ledged by them. 



'Christ at the house of Martha and Mary,' 1315, was one of the early 

 works which went far to secure his great reputation ; but his grand 

 picture ' Christ entering Jerusalem" (about 8 feet by 54), finished in 

 the following year for the Marienkirche at Liibcck, was that which 

 may be said to have established it : there can be little hesitation in 

 saying, that despite of its crudenesses it was in many respects one of the 

 graudest scriptural pictures which had been painted since the decay 

 of art in Italy. Though a slow worker his design being first elabo- 

 rately thought oat, and then laboriously corrected the works of a 

 man who has been for nearly half a century constantly working, are far 

 too numerous to be mentioned here, even if we had the materials for 

 completing the list ; but the following are some of the more import- 

 ant. ' Christ bearing his Cross ' a work of great power ; ' The Child 

 Christ in the Temple ; ' ' Christ Blessing Little Children ' through 

 the engravings perhaps the best known of his works in this country ; 

 ' The4tauing of Lazarus ; ' ' Christ raising the Daughter of Jairus ; ' 

 'Christ on the Mount of Olives; ' 'St. John preaching in the Wilder- 

 ness ; ' ' Motes and th Daughter of Jethro at the Well ; ' ' Gathering 

 the Manna;' ' Hagar in the Desert;' and 'The Ascent of Elijah,' 

 may be taken as representatives of his scriptural subject?. Among 

 those illustrative of the traditions of his church may be mentioned, 

 besides Holy Families and Pietas, ' The Marriage of the Virgin ; ' 

 'Virgin with the Lily;' 'Death of St. Joseph,' painted for the 

 Church of Madonna de^li Angioli, near Ansisi; 'The Three Kings;' 

 'St. Elizabeth,' Ac. He has also painted or drawn various alle- 

 gorical figures and designs, among which are the 'Germania' and 

 ' Italia.' Among his earlier fre.-cot g was a series of five, painted in 

 the Villa Uiusliniani, from Tuso's 'Jerusalem Delivered,' but he 

 has since seldom wandered even so far from religious themes. As 

 one of his most characteristic works may be cited his ' Christian Art ' 

 in the Stadelsche Institut, Frankfurt-on-the-Maiue. In this vast pro- 

 duction be has sought to symbolise in a single design the development 



of art including music, architecture, sculpture, and painting under 

 the influence of Christianity. Christ in the act of blessing, and the 

 Virgin recording the Magnificat, occupy the middle of the upper 

 compartment of the picture, whiU the saints and prophets of the Old, 

 and the Apostles of the New Testament are assembled around, and 

 the representatives of the several arts fill the different stages or com- 

 partments into which the picture is divided. It is a work full of 

 learning, thought, and fine feeling, but one which to understand, much 

 less to do full justice to, it is necessary to study from the artist's own 

 point of view, and with a clear conception of his central idea to an 

 ordinary spectator by no means an easy matter. He has also made a 

 large number of drawings for engraving, such as ' The Passion of Our 

 Lord,' ' Forty Illustrations from the Gospels," &c. 



The works of Overbeck are marked by unflagging invention, great 

 refinement and delicacy of expression, considerable power of drawing, 

 and a style of composition which presents hia design with the greatest 

 conceivable perspicuity. Where there is obscurity, as there sometimes 

 is, it rests in the idea and not in the manner of its presentation. But 

 his treatment of his themes is essentially subjective : in other words, 

 he seems to have always sought to carry out Schlegel's principle, that 

 in all Christian themes the treatment must be spiritual and symbolic 

 rather than human and dramatic. Hence his works display a calm 

 devotional beauty and simplicity rather than energy or brilliancy of 

 style. This spirituality nnd symbolism of style and thought rise in 

 the works of Overbeck not infrequently into grandeur, and are always 

 impressive ; but often, even in his hands, they run into coldness, 

 obscurity, and mannerism. But his nobleness and purity of aim, his 

 great artistic knowledge and power, the fine poetic genius which 

 pervades almost every production of his pencil, and his singleness of 

 purpose, must always secure for the name of Friedrich Overbeck a high 

 place in the history of art, and one of the very highest among the 

 painters of the 19th century. 



Although he became first generally known by his frescoes, and 

 though his early practice in that material has influenced all his subse- 

 quent productions, he has always expressed a decided preference for 

 oil-painting, and many of his finest works are painted in oil. Of late 

 years however he has chiefly contented himself with making drawings 

 in chalk and charcoal, and a large proportion of the designs made BO 

 widely known by engravings are so prepared. 



OVERBURY, SIR THOMAS, was born in 1581, at Compton 

 Scorfen, in the parish of Ilmington, Warwickshire, the eeat of Giles 

 Palmer, hia mother's father. His father was Nicholas Overbury, of 

 Bourton-on the-Hill, in Gloucestershire, of an ancient family, and who 

 was also a bencher of the Middle Temple. Sir Thomas received his 

 early education at home, then proceeded to Queen's College, Oxford, 

 as a gentleman commoner in 1595, and took his degree of B.A. iu 

 1598. His father designed him for the law, and he was entered at the 

 Middle Temple; but feeling a desire for a more stirring life he travelled 

 on the Continent, and returned an accomplished gentleman. In 1601 

 he visited Scotland, where he became acquainted with Carr (more 

 properly Ker, lie was a descendant of the Kers of Ferniehurst), who 

 was then a sewer or page in the service of the Earl of Dunbar. Carr 

 came to London with Overbury, where he soon afterwards became a 

 favourite with King James, and was rapidly promoted. Carr was a 

 handsome man, but illiterate, and of no great abilities; even on the 

 trial Mrs. Turner said that he "spoke so broad Scottish that she under- 

 stood him not;" and indeed James is said to have chosen him as 

 favourite in order to teach him Latin. Overbilry was a scholar and of 

 varied talent, not of unimpeachable morality, and, probably conscious 

 of his superiority, haughty and presumptuous. At first he shared in 

 his patron's fortune, he was made, sewer to James, was knighted at 

 Greenwich in 1608, and his father was made one of the judges in 

 Wales. In 1609 he visited France and the Netherlands, and on his 

 return wrote his 'Observations upon the state of the Seventeen Provinces 

 as they stood in 1609.' In 1610 Jonson had spoken in his praise, but 

 in his ' Conversations ' with Druinmond of Hawthoruden, he calls him 

 his " mortal enemy." The cause is supposed to have been an attempt 

 by Overbury to engage Jonson to forward his suit with the Countess 

 of Rutland, "wherein he did intend a state that was unlawful." In 

 the elegy on her death published with Overbury's works, but which is 

 now said to be by Francis Beaumont, there is nothing to countenance 

 such a charge. It dwells on her virtues, though her marriage is spoken 

 of as " nought but a sacrament of misery." 



His good fortune did not last long. Cecil, the minister of Elizabeth 

 and James, to serve his own purposes, contrived in 1606 to marry his 

 own son to one of the daughters of Howard earl of Suffolk; while the 

 other, when only thirteen, was married to the son of his former rival, 

 the Earl of Essex, who was only fourteen. Being considered too young 

 to live together, the lady was remitted to the care of her mother, and 

 the gentleman proceeded to the Continent. In 1610, at the age of 

 eighteen, he returned to claim his bride, whom he found grown into 

 extraordinary beauty, the reiguing toast at court, solicited by Prince 

 Henry (Sir Simoud d'Ewes says broadly, that ' set on by the Earl 

 of Northampton," she had " prostituted herself to him," but that ho 

 had abandoned her) and Carr, then Viscount Rochester, and possessed 

 of an undisguised and violent dislike of himself. It was only by the 

 interference of her father and the king that she consented to live in 

 his house. Overbury appears to have assisted his patron with his pen 



