Ottmar Zeiller - Art in great detail
The Digital Catalogue Raisonné of Small Sculpture of Ottmar Zeiller
The digital catalogue brings together almost four hundred objects. Most are made of wood, around fifty of these were cast in bronze. A few sculptures made of bark, ivory and bone have been preserved. However, the special feature of the figures is not so much their material but rather their size. Excluding the base, the wooden figures start at eight millimetres, while some bronze figures are only slightly larger at ten millimetres.
The result is a panopticon for all those who are fascinated by small(est) sculpture as well as a research platform for art history, which can finally discover Ottmar Zeiller, who was born in 1868 and died in 1921 (who was also variously signed or referred to as Othmar, Ottomar, Otto and Zeiler), as a protagonist, although he was not successful in the contemporary art world. A newspaper article by Hugo Greinz, which appeared on the occasion of Zeiller's death, had earned Ottmar Zeiller the reputation of an ingenious but dawdling vagabond and influenced the reception. However, the research results obtained in the context of this catalogue contradict this assessment.
From medicine to art
Ottmar Zeiller, born in Enneberg (now South Tyrol), enjoyed a middle-class education and completed a degree in medicine. However, instead of completing a doctorate or the practical phase, he went to Berlin to work as a sculptor and modeller. This was followed by studies at the Städtische Modellierschule (Municipal Modeling School) in Munich and at the Großherzogliche Badische Akademie der bildenden Künste (Grand Ducal Baden Academy of Fine Arts) in Karlsruhe under Ludwig Schmid-Reutte. Back in Berlin, he opened his own drawing school, carved his small figures, exhibited them for the first time in 1904/1905 and also made bronze casts. In 1908, Ottmar Zeiller accepted a call to the technical school for woodwork in Gröden/Val Gardena, but he ended the well-paid position of his own accord after two years in order to live as a freelance artist again.
Art in miniature
He did not follow the contemporary trend towards the "large". While Auguste Rodin (1840-1917), for example, enlarged his “Thinker” (1904) for public space, Ottmar Zeiller was experimenting with miniaturization probably at around the same time: His “Thinker” is 1.7 cm tall, 10.7 cm with its "pedestal", which in many cases is simply the longer part of the carved wood to hold it in hand. The carved wood clearly demonstrates the limited space from which Ottmar Zeiller carved his figures.
Against this background, his friendship with painter Albin Egger-Lienz (1868-1926), who created large-format oil paintings, is surprising, but not illogical – both explored boundaries and did not get in each other's way. At Albin Egger-Lienz's request, Ottmar Zeiller created a portrait figure (7.5 cm tall without base) in 1912. As is documented by letters, Albin Egger-Lienz also requested a silver cast. Unfortunately, this could not be found. Nevertheless, as can now be seen thanks to the catalogue, there is a smaller version in wood (probably a preliminary stage or study), then the wooden figure that served as a model for the cast as well as three bronze casts.
Portraits can also be assumed for other figures, but in most cases this cannot be clearly determined. For example, the figure entitled “Schreitender Bauer” (“Striding Peasant”) probably represents the well-known architect Adolf Loos (1879–1933), who is hard of hearing in his left ear and can be assumed to have been an acquaintance of Ottmar Zeiller (the wooden figure and two casts have been found in different places). And the figure of the innkeeper can also represent a portrait or just bear typical features of an innkeeper.
Experience the figures online
Most of the figures listed in the catalogue are privately owned and can only be seen in this way. For the first time, questions can be asked about Ottmar Zeiller's cosmos of figures and working methods. His estate mainly comprises life documents such as certificates and diplomas. Only a few letters to him have been handed down. The reconstruction of his biography is complex. It is in progress and will be included alongside this catalogue.
The catalogue offers a good four hundred objects photographed in an all-round view with 16 angles. All of them are described, indexed and searchable according to various criteria. Finally, the advantages of the digital presentation of these figures in particular are: Anyone calling up the catalogue will find the exact measurements of the figures and can display them on their own screen as large or small as they wish. Using a good old ruler, it is possible to reproduce the real size of the objects.