RAUCH, CnnisinAN DANIEL, one of the most distinguished German sculptors, was b. at Arolsea, the capital of the principality of Waldeck, in 1777. He early began the study of sculpture; but on the death of his father, in 1;97, lie was obliged to go to Ber lin, Nvh•re he became valet to Frederick William H.. king of Prussia. On the death of that prince, Rauch determined to follow the bent of his inclination for the fine arts. In this he was assisted by the new king Frederick William III., who afforded him facilities for designing and modeling statues, and recommended him as a pupil in the academy of the tine arts. A statue of Endymion and a bust of queen Louise of Prussia executed at this time, convinced the king of Rauch's abilities, and he gave him the means of pro ceeding to Rome for his further improvement. Rauch spent six years in that city, working at his profession vdith 11111C11 assiduity to render himself worthy of the friend ship of Thorwaldsen and Canova. At Rome he also enjoyed the friendship of William Humboldt, at that time Prussian minister there.
Among his works at this time were bassi-rilievi of "Hippolytus and Phmdra," a "Mars and Venus wounded by Diomedes," a colossal bust of the king of Prussia, and busts of Raphael Mengs and the count de Wengersky. In 1811 he was called by the king of Prussia to Berlin to execute a monumental statue of queen Louise. This great work obtained for Rauch a European reputation. It is placed in the mausoleum ( f the queen in the garden of Charlottenbmig. Ranch was not, however, quite satisfied with this triumph of his art, but commenced a new statue of the queen, which he finished 11 years afterward, and which is allowed to be a masterpiece of sculpture. It is placel in
the palace of Sans Sonci. near Potsdam. Rauch, after this, lived principally at Berlin, but occasionally visited Rome, Carrara. and Munich. He labored indefatigably in his profession, and by 1824 had executed 70 busts in marble, of which 20 were of colca:ial size.
Ranch's principal works, besides those above mentioned. are: two colossal brcLze statutes of field marshal BIncher, one of which was erected. with great solemnity, at Breslau in 1827; a bronze statue of Maximilian of Bavaria, erected at _Munich in 18:35; and statues of Albert Wirer, Goethe, Schiller, and Schleiermacher, erected in various places in Germany. His greatest work is the magnificent monument of Frederick the great, which adorns Berlin. The model for this statue was designed by Rauch in con junction with prof. Schipke], the architect, in 1S30: and after 20 years' labor the statue was finished in 1850. mid was inaugurated with great 'pomp in Noy, 1851.
In his works Ranch has the merit of having surmounted the difficulties which modon costume opposes to the ideal representation of personages of the present age; and, while lie preserved the salient points of his model, lie possessed the art of sacrificing the h ss important details to the exigencies of' the beautiful. Ile died at Dresden on Dec. 3, 1857.