| Ignatius Taschner | |
| Birth Date: | 1871 4, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Bad Kissingen, Germany |
| Death Place: | Mitterndorf near Dachau, Germany |
| Nationality: | German |
| Education: | Academy of Fine Arts, Munich |
| Spouse: | Helene Felber |
Ignatius Taschner (9 April 1871 – 25 November 1913), also known as Ignaz Taschner, was a German sculptor, medalist,[1] graphic designer and illustrator.
Ignatius Taschner was born in 1871, he was the son of Bartholomew Taschner, a stonemason originating from Straubing. He spent his childhood and youth in Lohr am Main. From 1885 to 1888 he completed an apprenticeship as a stonemason in Schweinfurt with the sculptor Wilhelm Kämpf and worked there for a year as a journeyman. He then studied from 1889 to 1895 at the Munich Academy of Fine Arts under Syrius Eberle and Jakob Bradl. Among his fellow students were the sculptor Georg Wrba and Josef Rauch.[2] On 27 April 1899, he married Helene Felber.
In 1894, he received his first contract from the city of Schweinfurt to work on a war memorial. Around the turn of the century Taschner had been making a substantial impression on the artists of the Munich, Vienna and Berlin Secessions. Taschner's early period ended in 1897 with an order from Karl von Marr for a tomb for the Berlin painter Carl Bennewitz von Loefen. Then in 1898, working for the architects Helbig & Haiger, he made a series of decorative murals in the Munich Kunstgewerbehaus as well as for an exhibition in the Glasspalast. He received his first orders for graphics from the Viennese publisher Martin Gerlach. He drew invitations and postcards for the carnival party ″Schwabinger Bauernkirchweih″ of the Association of Art students in Munich in 1898 (and for all other ″Schwabinger Bauernkirchweih″ parties until 1905). He also created the characters ″Strauchdieb″ and ″Hl. Cäcilia″.
In 1900 he participated in the competition for a Kaiser-Friedrich monument in Oels (Oleśnica) and a Goethe Memorial in Strasbourg (3rd prize), created the group ″Rauhbein″, the illustrations for ″Grimm's Fairy Tales″ for Publisher Martin Gerlach and participated at the Paris World Exhibition with the figures ″Hl. Martin″ and ″Strauchdieb″. In 1902 he participated in a fountain competition for Kempten (2nd prize), designed a silver crucifix, created the figure ″Unterfranken″ for the New Town Hall in Munich, the etchings ″Kirchgang und Botenfuhrwerk″ and the illustrations for ″Die Nymphe des Brunnens″ and ″Kirchgang″ for the publisher Martin Gerlach.
In 1903 Taschner became a lecturer at the Royal Arts and Crafts School in Breslau. He became friends with Ludwig Thoma of Munich, then editor of Simplicissimus; for whose story Der heilige Hies he contributed the illustrations. An essential part of his jewelry works was created also at this time in connection with the metal class of the Breslau School of Art.
In 1904 Taschner went to Berlin and worked for the famous architect Alfred Messel and especially for Ludwig Hoffmann, for whom he produced many architectural sculptures. He designed the silverware of Crown Prince Wilhelm as well as other industrial designs. Ignatius Taschner was an early member of the Deutscher Künstlerbund.[3] In its third annual exhibition 1906 in Weimar[4] Taschner showed the first version of the Parsival-equestrian statuette.[5]
In 1906 Taschner moved to Mitterndorf near Dachau, where he built a villa like other famous artists on a large piece of land. Soon afterwards the designs for the ten figures of the Märchenbrunnen in the Volkspark Friedrichshain in Berlin were completed. In 1911 the interior of his villa in Mitterndorf - designed by Taschner himself - was completed. Only a few years he could live together with his wife and his two little girls in his villa. He was ill and overworked and his heart stopped suddenly.
Taschner died suddenly on 25 November 1913 in Mitterndorf near Dachau.