Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 15.djvu/748

 WOLGEMUT

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WOLOWSKI

and varied rather than accurate. He certainly knew French, but only imperfectly; for his proper names often show a curious misunderstanding of French words and phrases. He is the author of some lyric poems and three epics. The lyrics are mostly so- called Tagelieder (day-songs), in which lovers are ex- horted to part by a watcher who announces the dawn. The poet's fame however, rests on his epics, above all on his " Parzival ' ', the greatest of Middle High German court epics. It is the well-known story of the simple- ton who passes through struggle and temptation and in the end wins the highest earthly happiness and be- comes King of the Holy Grail. The poem consists of almost 25,000 verses and was composed between the years 1200 and 1216. As is the case with all Middle High German court epics, it is drawn from a French source. The precise relation of Wolfram's poem to this source is a much mooted question. The most famous French poem on the subject of Parzival is the "Conte del Graal" of Chrestien de Troyes, composed possibly about 1180. Wolfram mentions this work, but cites as his som-ce the work of a Provencal poet, Kyot (Guiot), to whom he gives the preference over Chrestien. But no such work is known, and hence some scholars have declared Kyot to be a fiction. But this seems to be going too far; to-day Kyot's ex- istence is generally admitted. Wolfram's poem cer- tainly contains much that is not found in the work of Chrestien, and which can hardly be explained as pure invention. Originally the Parzival story had an independent existence, being akin to the simpleton- tales familiar from folk-lore. But in Wolfram's work, as before him in Chrestien's, the story appears as part of the romances belonging to the Arthurian cycle; it is also connected with the legend of the Holy Grail.

It is acknowledged that, while Wolfram did not in- vent the story, he gave to it a deep spiritual meaning. In his "Parzival" the legend of the^Holy Grail has found its highest and noblest poetic expression. The title "Titurel" is given to two fragments in strophic form, containing the love story of Sigune and Schionatu- lander, a mere episode in "Parzival". The name is de- rived from Titurel, the ancestor of the Knights of the Grail, with whom the introductory strophes are con- cerned. A later poet treated the same subject at much greater length, and his work, "Derjungere Titurel", for a long time pas.sed as Wolfram's own. The poet's last work was "Willehalm". It relates the deeds of William of Orange against the Saracens. It is modelled on the French poem " Aliscans" with which Wolfram became acquainted through the landgrave Hermann. The work was left unfinished and was after- wards continued and expanded by Ulrich von Tiir- heim and again by Ulrich von Turlin. The chief edition of Wolfram's works is that of K. Lachmann (Berlin, 183.3; 5th edition, 1891); an edition with ex- planation and commentary is that of K. Bartsch, "Parzifal und Titurel" in "Deutsche Klassiker des Mittelalters", IX-XI, 3 parts (Leipzig, 1875-77); also edited by Paul Piper in Kurschner's " Deutsche National-Litteratur", V, 2 parts; and by E. Martin, " Parzival u. Titurel " (Halle, 1900-03), with commen- tary. A modernized German version of "Parzival" ■was given by K.Simrock (6th ed., 1883), G. Botticher (2nd ed., Berlin, 1893), W. Hertz (2nd ed., Stuttgart, 1904), and E. Engelmann (Stuttgart, 1888). An Eng- lish version was made by Jessie Weston (Lt)ndon, 1894).

Consult the pref.ice and commentary of the editions and translations cited above; also Bottichkh, Das Ilohelied vom liitlertum (Berlin, 18S6); San Ukutk. Liben und Dichten Wolf- rams von Eschcnbach (Magdeburg, 1841).

Arthur F. J. Remy.

Wolgemut, Michael, painter and engraver, b. at Nuremberg, 1434; d. there, 1519. He was the most prominent artist of Nm-emberg in the fifteenth century, and was selected to paint the great altar- piece for the church of Zwickau. He was the pupil

and assistant of Hans Pleydenwm^J, and, though a very great master, must not be regarded as the equal of Pleydenwurff, whose technique he carefully copied and adopted. Perhaps his greatest claim to im- mortahty is the fact that he was Diirer's master, working with him between 1486 and 1490. "At that time the workshc i] i of Wolgemut musi have been one of the busiest in the city, frequented", says Mr. Camp- bell Dodgson, "by all the best paint- ers, carvers, and wood engravers of the day." WTiether Wolgemut himself was a wood en- graver is not defi- nitely knovm, but -D ^'"!f '- An'°'-°i,"'^ undoubtedly ^"'''"' ^^ ^^^'^"^^ °"" many of the altar-pieces carved in wood were carved in his workshop, and Veitoss, the emi- nent carver, was one of his friends and com- panions, and worked with him in the produc- tion of carved and painted altar-pieces. He was certainly responsible for some wood-cuts, and the designs for several stained glass windows in Nuremberg are also attributed to him. His most important picture after that of Zurcken is in the parish church at Crailsheim; other paintings bj' him are at Schwaback, Hersbruck, Munich, and Nurem- berg. He was an ardent Catholic, and a man of great devotion, praised by his contemporaries for his upright life.

See the works of Thode on Wolgemut and on the painters of Nuremberg; Campbell Dodgson, Catalogue of German and Ftem- i.th Wood-cuts; various articles in The Prussian Year-Book by Van Loga, Lehrs, Thode, and Scheibler.

George Ch.\rles Wiluamson.

Wolowski, Louis - Francois - Michel - Retmond, economist, b. at Warsaw, 31 Aug., 1810; d. at Gisors, Eure, 15 Aug., 1876. His father, a member of the provisory government which established the Polish Revolution at Warsaw in 1830, sent him to Paris despite his youth as first secretary of legation. WTien the revolution was quelled, the Wolowski family es- tablished themselves at Paris, and in 1836 Louis was a naturalized Frenchman. His creation, as early as 1834, of the "Revue de legislation et de jurisprudence " began to assure his reputation as jurist and economist; in 1839 a chair of industrial legislation was created for him at the Conservatory of Arts and Crafts, which he occupied for thirty-two years. In 1855 he became a member of the Academie des Sciences Morales et Politiques. On two occa.sions Wolowski played a legislative role. Elected representative of the Seine at the Constituent Assembly in 1848 and at the Legis- lative Assembly in 1849, he directed (10 May, 1848) the attention of the CJovernment to the misfortunes of Poland, and voted for the expedition to Koine and the Loi Falloux. Elected in 1871 representative to the National Assembly, he sat on the Left Centre and played a very important part in the financial dis- cussions; in Dee., 1S75, he became senator for life. He played an important part in the foundation of the CMU Fonder, whose ])rincip;il object was the with- drawal of rural property from the expenses of loans and the scourge of hypothecary subrogation. A liimetal- list in monetary matters and a free trader in commer- cial matters, he did not carry economic liberalism 80 far as to opiiosc all State intervention in the matter of labour; on the contrary, he had a very important share in the law of 19 Maj', 1871, which limited the