The Encyclopedia Americana (1920)/Blässer, Gustav

BLÄSSER, blĕ'zė, Gustav, German sculptor: b. Düsseldorf, 9 May 1813; d. Cannstatt, 20 April 1874. He was associated 11 years with Rauch and for that time shared in all his work. In 1845 he went to Rome, but returned to Berlin when appointed to design one of the groups for the &ldquo;Schlossbrücke.&rdquo; His group, &lsquo;Minerva Leading a Young Warrior to Battle,&rsquo; is thought to be the best of the series. Among his other works are a statue of Saint Matthew in the church at Helsingfors; the &lsquo;Prophet Daniel&rsquo;; Barussia in the new museum at Berlin; the statues of Jeremiah, Daniel and Charlemagne for the church at Potsdam; the equestrian statue of Frederick William III at Cologne; &lsquo;Hospitality&rsquo;; and many busts, including one of Lincoln and one of Washington.