Aloys Hirt

Aloys Hirt (27 June 1759 – 29 June 1837) was a German art historian and archaeologist of Ancient Greek and Roman architecture. He was responsible for the King of Prussia's antiquities collection from 1798, and became was the University of Berlin's first professor of art theory and art history in 1810.

Hirt was born in the village of Behla near Hüfingen in the Swabian Baar region. The son of a wealthy rural family, he was able to attend secondary school (Gymnasium) at Villingen, educated by Bendictine monks. After the death of his first love, he entered a monastery for a while, before studying philosophy at the University of Nancy. Intending to get a degree in law and political science, he briefly studied it at the University of Freiburg soon afterwards. However, in 1779, he switched university to Vienna and subject to classics, staying 3 years.

In 1782 he moved to Rome and went on to live in Italy until 1796, visiting Venice, Florence, Naples, and Sicily. Hirt became increasingly interested in art, after reading Johann Winckelmann's works and being exposed to wide variety of art available for study in Italy. He worked as an archaeologist and from 1785 also as an established and knowledgeable cicerone (tour guide). His clients included Goethe, Friedrich Wilhelm von Erdmannsdorff, Margravine Louise of Brandenburg-Schwedt, Prince Nikolaus II Esterházy, Herder, Duchess Anna Amalia of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, and the countess Wilhelmine von Lichtenau.

...
Wikipedia