Richard King

Remembering the talented sculptor Richard König - on his 150th birthday

The two large sculptures 'Moses' and 'St John the Baptist' are enthroned in the altar niches of the Luther Church in a grand and honourable manner. Every visitor looks up at them in awe. In 1897, the Radebeul sculptor Richard König created these outstanding works of art for the church.

His close acquaintance with the architects Rudolf Schilling and Julius Graebner, who were widely recognised as the master builders of Radebeul's Luther Church, gave Richard König the opportunity to demonstrate his skills in the form of these two figures.

Born in Leobschütz (Silesia) in 1863, he laid the foundations for his artistic work during his studies at the Berlin Academy of Arts. He later moved to Dresden, where he eagerly continued his sculpture studies in 1887. Thanks to his great talent, the budding artist spent a year in Florence and Rome in 1888 to perfect his talent.

The splendour of the local church building brought him great renown, and both the architect duo and Richard König were entrusted with the rebuilding and decoration of Dresden's Kreuzkirche, which had fallen victim to a fire in 1897. Once again, it was monumental figures - 'Peter' and 'Paul' - with which König inspired people. Unfortunately, they were irretrievably destroyed during the bombing raid of 13/14 February 1945. The third church in which the sculptor was artistically active was the Christus-Kirche in Dresden-Strehlen. Here he created two reliefs, 'Jesus with the Samaritan Woman at the Well' and 'Resurrection of the Young Man at Nain', which flank the chancel.

In addition to several other sculptural works of art in Dresden, such as at the Albertinum, another façade decoration in Radebeul also bears witness to Richard König's work. The fountain on the north side of the Lößnitzgymnasium on Steinbachstraße was designed and created by him. His active involvement in the Lößnitz Art Association, founded in 1907, is also particularly noteworthy.

However, Radebeul was not to be the last stage of his life. After a creative period of around 20 years, he and his wife Lucie chose Oberammergau as their retirement home in 1920. Despite his tranquil, secluded life in Bavaria, he always had fond memories of the Elbe region and sent his lavish greetings to the 1924 winegrowers' festival:

"To the dear old Lößnitz homeland, () so friendly and cosy with its shady grounds, sunny heights, the peaceful spots by murmuring streams, in the rustling forest, so rich in ever new beauty with the changing seasons. I send my warmest congratulations to this dear old homeland. May the Lößnitz and its viticulture in particular flourish and prosper forever!"

Who could not wholeheartedly endorse this?

Maren Gündel, City Archive

Published in: Official Gazette Radebeul, February 2013.