Rudolf Wiegmann

Heinrich Ernst Gottfried Rudolf Wiegmann (17 April 1804, Nordstemmen - 17 April 1865, Düsseldorf) was a German painter, archaeologist, art historian, graphic artist and architect. He worked in the Classical style and, as a painter, is best-known for his vedute. His wife, Marie (1820-1893), who he married in 1841, was also a painter of some note.

He came from a military family. His father was a Lieutenant (later Captain) in the Tenth Infantry Regiment and was killed at the Battle of Waterloo, where he was serving as an adjutant to Colonel Georg du Plat (1770-1815).

As a child, he often visited St.Dionysius Church in Nordstemmen and its Gothic architecture left a deep impression on him. He began by studying architecture, mathematics and astronomy at the "Ratsgymnasium" in Hanover, where his family had relocated after his father's death. One of his childhood friends was August Heinrich Andreae, who would later become the City Architect for Hanover. After 1823, he and Andreae attended the University of Gottingen, where he studied history, the natural sciences and archaeology and was especially impressed by the lectures of Karl Otfried Müller.

He began his art studies in Darmstadt with the City Architect, Georg Moller, who encouraged him to supplement his class work through practical research in Rome. Accordingly, in 1828, he went to work for the German Archaeological Institute, investigating the wall paintings at Pompeii. He remained there until 1832 and became part of the German art colony.

After his return, he devoted himself to creating vedute of Hanover; oil paintings, watercolors, lithographs and etchings, which he published as an album in 1835. During this time, his only architectural work involved a tomb vault for Johann Ludwig Söhlmann (?-1835), a leather manufacturer. He also became a member of the "Kunstverein Hanover" (Art Association) and served on the committee that chose works for their exhibitions.

...
Wikipedia