Dietrich Meinardus

Statue of Germania on Friedrichsplatz in Düsseldorf at the Unity Festival on 6 August 1848, contemporary illustration

Jesuiten-Monument at the Golzheimer Friedhof (on the left)

Born in Ovelgönne, Herzogtum Oldenburg,[1] Meinardus's life and work remain largely under-researched.[2] In 1848, he served as the executive sculptor for a monumental statue of Germania made of wood, cardboard, and canvas. The statue was designed by Düsseldorf painter Karl Ferdinand Sohn for the "Fest of German Unity" held at Friedrichsplatz in Düsseldorf.[3] Along with painters from the Düsseldorf school of painting, Meinardus was one of the founding members of the Malkasten, established in the same year.

As a member of the city's Protestant community, Meinardus resided in Düsseldorf's Altstadt. In 1838, he lived in the Ritterstraße[4] and by the 1850s, he had relocated to 380 Andreasstraße.[5] respectively 15.[6] In the early 1830s, he opened his sculpture workshop at Bolkerstraße No. 441 and advertised his several years of study at the Kunstakademie and the certificates he obtained from there.[7]

Meinardus primarily focused on creating sacred art, particularly gravestones. He often collaborated with sculptors and architects who provided designs, such as Julius Bayerle and Johann Peter Götting, both sculptors, and the architect Johannes Kühlwetter. Some of his works can be found in the Golzheim cemetery. The prominent sculptural piece in the cemetery is the high cross, architecturally designed by Johannes Kühlwetter, executed by Meinardus, and adorned with figures by Götting (Christ) and Bayerle (Mary).[8] This cross was erected in 1850[9] and was relocated to the "Millionenhügel" of the Düsseldorf North Cemetery in 1905 due to the construction of Klever Straße, which cut through the cemetery at its original location starting from 1903/1904. Another significant collaboration between Kühlwetter and Meinardus resulted in the 1843 Jesuit Monument, a communal grave featuring a stele in the form of a Neogothic pinnacle made of sandstone. It commemorates the clergy of the Society of Jesus order active in Prussian times at the Andreaskirche.[10]

Meinardus died in 1871 at the age of 66 in Düsseldorf.[11] He was buried in the grave of his wife Luise, née Dallemscheid (1812-1868), in the Golzheim cemetery.[11]

Following Meinardus's death, his workshop was continued by his son Alexander Meinardus (23 July 1843 - 23 June 1891).[12] In the third generation, Dietrich Meinardus' grandson Paul took over[13] the workshop and also signed under the name 'Dietrich Meinardus'. The grandson Siegfried (1874-1933) also became a sculptor.[14][15]

• Inge Zacher: Friedhofsanlagen und Grabmäler der kommunalen Friedhöfe. In Eduard Trier, Willy Weyres (ed.): Kunst des 19. Jahrhunderts im Rheinland. Vol. IV: Plastik. Schwann, Düsseldorf 1980, ISBN 3-590-30254-2, p. 417.

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