Johannes Overbeck

Johannes Adolph Overbeck (March 27, 1826 - November 8, 1895) was a German archaeologist and art historian who was born in Antwerp. He was son-in-law to zoologist Georg August Goldfuss (1782-1848), and was father-in-law to anthropologist Emil Ludwig Schmidt (1837-1906). His uncle was famed painter Friedrich Overbeck (1789-1869).

In 1848 Overbeck received his PhD from the University of Bonn, where he in 1850 he earned his habilitation. In 1863 he became professor of archaeology and dean of the archaeological collection at the University of Leipzig. He worked at Leipzig for the remainder of his career. Two of his better known students were Adolf Furtwängler (1853-1907) and Adolf Michaelis (1835-1910).

Overbeck was a specialist of Greek "Kunstmythologie" (mythological art) in the field of archaeology. One of his earliest publications was an important work on Pompeii which ran to several editions, and in 1884 with August Mau (1840-1909), he published a book about Pompeii and its works of art, titled "Pompeji in seinen Gebäuden, Alterthümern und Kunstwerken".

Selected writings

* "Pompeii", Leipzig 1855
* "Geschichte der Griechischen Plastik" (History of Greek sculpture), Two volumes, Leipzig 1857/58
* "Die archäologische Sammlung der Universität Leipzig" (The Archaeological Collection of the University of Leipzig), Leipzig 1859
* "Die antiken Schriftquellen zur Geschichte der bildenden Künste bei den Griechen" (The Ancient Manuscript Sources on the History of Greek Fine Arts), Leipzig 1868
* "Griechische Kunstmythologie" (Greek Art-mythology), Three volumes, Leipzig 1871/89
* "Atlas", Leipzig 1872/87
* "Pompeji in seinen Gebäuden, Alterthümern und Kunstwerken" (Inside Pompeii's Buildings, Antiquities and Works of Art), with August Mau (1884)

References

* "Parts of this article are based on a translation of an article from the German Wikipedia."
* [http://www.dictionaryofarthistorians.org/overbeckj.htm Dictionary of Art Historians, Biography]