Sculptures in motion await you here at the Ferdinand-Tietz-Museum. This museum celebrates the artistic legacy of Ferdinand Tietz. He was one of Southern Germany’s greatest Rococo artists.
The Ferdinand-Tietz-Museum is located in the western orangery of Seehof Palace. Seehof Palace began its life in 1686. It served as the summer residence for Bamberg’s prince-bishops. Antonio Petrini designed it.
Prince-Bishop Johann Philipp Anton von Franckenstein summoned Tietz to Bamberg in 1747. He commissioned Tietz to create figures for Seehof Palace’s park. This project became the highlight of the park’s design. It marked Tietz’s artistic breakthrough.
Tietz and his workshop completed around 400 sculptures. These masterfully crafted figures showed playful exuberance. The sculptures made Tietz famous far beyond the region. He was appointed court sculptor in 1748.
Born Ferdinand Dietz in Holešice Bohemia in 1708, he later changed his surname. He came from a family of craftsmen. His father was a sculptor with a workshop in Jezeří. Stylistic parallels suggest he met Johann Wolfgang von der Auwera in Vienna. Tietz worked under Balthasar Neumann on large projects in the Würzburg Residenz.
In 1754, Prince-Bishop Franz Georg von Schönborn called Tietz to Trier. Tietz returned to Bamberg in 1760. Adam Friedrich von Seinsheim had taken over the prince-bishopric office.
Seinsheim commissioned Tietz to design the court garden at Veitshöchheim near Würzburg in 1765. Tietz created a sculptural agenda. He populated the garden with allegorical stone figures from mythology between 1765 and 1768. By 1776, some 300 figures decorated the garden. About 200 have survived. They were originally painted. This gave them a porcelain-like appearance.
Ferdinand Tietz became court sculptor in Würzburg in 1767. After finishing his commissions for Würzburg and Bamberg, he received no further major work. His Rococo style fell out of fashion. New art tastes favored sober lines. Tietz died in Seehof near Bamberg in 1777. He was 69 years old.
The Ferdinand-Tietz-Museum displays parts of the garden’s sculptural decoration. A few preserved sandstone figures remain outside. These figures offer a glimpse into the original decoration. It once comprised over 400 sculptures.
Wander through the museum. See the preserved works of a master sculptor. Imagine the original splendor of Seehof Palace’s gardens. The Ferdinand-Tietz-Museum provides a window into a vibrant past.