STEINLE, Edward Jakob von

(b. 1810 Wien, d. 1886 Frankfurt)

Austrian painter. He studied at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Vienna from 1823, where he was taught by Vincenz Georg Kininger and Leopold Kupelwieser. His training under the latter had a lasting influence on his work, for it was during this period (1826-28) that he learnt about Italian painting of the Quattrocento. In 1828 he went to Rome, where he joined the Nazarenes (Philipp Veit, Friedrich Overbeck and Joseph Führich). He sketched a Visitation, and an Annunciation for the church of Trinità dei Monti in Rome; these were painted as frescoes by his friend Josef Tunner. He worked with Overbeck on the Portiuncula Chapel in Assisi.

In 1833 he returned to Vienna, then in 1839 moved to Frankfurt. He worked with others on the wall painting of Frankfurt’s historic town hall, the “Römer”. From 1850 he was teacher at the art institute Städelsches Kunstinstitut; decorated several churches with frescoes and stained glass (e.g. Cologne Cathedral). In 1878-79 he created the designs of stained glass for the Vienna Votivkirche.

The Lorelei

According to German legend, there was once a beautiful young maiden, named Lorelei, who threw herself headlong into the river in despair over a faithless lover. Upon her death she was transformed into a siren and could from that time on be heard singing on a rock along the Rhine River, near St. Goar. Her hypnotic music lured sailors to their death. The legend is based on an echoing rock with that name near Sankt Goarshausen, Germany.

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The Lorelei (detail)

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The Tower Watchman

The man gazing longingly into the distance from a dizzying height expresses the spiritual need of the time. His outward gaze betrays his sadness, as he stands between the mourning bell above his head and the hope expressed by the swallow building its nest below his feet. He is as if caught between them, while the little Biedermeier town far below is sunk in dreams.

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