Martin Bernigeroth

Martin Bernigeroth
Self-portrait
Born1670 (1670)
Friesdorf, Saxony
Died6 June 1733(1733-06-06) (aged 62–63)
Leipzig, Saxony
Known forEtcher and copper engraver
MovementBaroque

Martin Bernigeroth (Friesdorf, 1670 – Leipzig, 6 June 1733) was a German copper engraver.

Life

Bernigeroth was born Friesdorf, a village in the Saxon portion of the County of Mansfeld. He was the founder of a family of copper engravers based in Leipzig. He arrived in Leipzig in 1685 and was trained in the household of the copper engraver Erasmus Andresohn (1651–1731). He soon founded his own workshop, specialising in portraiture. In 1690–91, he studied mathematics and geometry at Leipzig University, and in 1707, he was appointed as an electoral copper engraver. Bernigeroth died in Leipzig on 6 June 1733. His sons, Johann Martin (1713–1767) and Johann Benedict (1716–1764), were also active as copper engravers. His pupils included, among others, Christian Heckel, Johann Christoph Sysang and Johann Christian Marchand.

Work

A prolific artist, Bernigeroth stands as the preeminent figure in 18th-century Leipzig portrait engraving. He is credited with approximately 1,600 engraved portraits. His clientele, which spanned all the upper echelons of society, extended well beyond the borders of Saxony and Thuringia. A collection of prints by the Bernigeroths, bound in eight volumes, is held in the Kupferstich-Kabinett, Dresden.

Notes

  1. ↑ Hübscher, Annelies (2008). "Bernigeroth, Martin Benedikt". In Helmut Bähring; Kurt Rüdiger (eds.). Lexikon der Buchstadt Leipzig. Von den Anfängen bis zum Jahr 1990. Taucha: Tauchaer Verlag. pp. 19–20.

Bibliography