Ernst Herter
Illustration — Ernst Herter and his wife Elisabeth, about 1885 Ernst Gustav Herter (14 May 1846, Berlin – 19 December 1917, Berlin) was a German sculptor. He specialized in creating statues of mythological figures.
Also recorded as Ernst Gustav Herter · Ernest Herter
Ernst Herter

Unidentified photographer · Konrad Herter (1979): Begegnungen mit Menschen und Tieren. Erinnerungen eines Zoologen 1891−1978. Duncker Humblot, Berlin. ISBN 3-428-04549-1. · Public domain
- Born
- 1846 · Berlin.
- Died
- 1917 · Berlin.
- Nationality
- Kingdom of Prussia
- Occupation
- sculptor · artist · medalist
- Education
- Academy of Arts and Berlin
- Teachers
- Albert Wolff · August Fischer · Gustav Bläser
- Known for
- Satyr with little Bacchus and replica from Farnese Collection
- Languages
- German
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Illustration — Ernst Herter and his wife Elisabeth, about 1885 Ernst Gustav Herter (14 May 1846, Berlin – 19 December 1917, Berlin) was a German sculptor. He specialized in creating statues of mythological figures.
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wikidata · Q871262 · wikipedia · Ernst Herter
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Life and work
Ernst Herter studied at Academy of Arts, Berlin. Training under Albert Wolff, August Fischer and Gustav Bläser is recorded. The recorded working language is German. Places of work recorded in the authority are Berlin. Employment is recorded with Berlin University of the Arts. Works named in the authority record are Satyr with little Bacchus, replica from Farnese Collection. Work by Ernst Herter is recorded in the collections of Berlinische Galerie and Achilleion.
Herter studied at the Academy of Arts in Berlin and later also as apprentice of Ferdinand August Fischer, Gustav Blaeser and Albert Wolff. In 1869 he created his own studio. In 1875, he made a study trip to Italy. Professor Herter was a member of the Prussian Academy of Arts. On 8 July 1899, Herter was present in New York when his Heinrich Heine memorial sculpture, known as the Lorelei Fountain, was unveiled in The Bronx, New York City. The Lorelei Fountain was originally intended for Heine's city of birth, Düsseldorf, to mark the centenary of his birth. This project was squelched due to the antisemitic and nationalistic sentiment that pervaded the German Reich at that time. Among his most famous works is Sterbender Achill (Dying Achilles), created in Berlin in 1884. The statue was acquired by the Empress of Austria and became the centerpiece at her palace Achilleion in Corfu, Greece. His second original sculpture of Dying Achilles is in Poland in Elbląg at Łączności street opposite the City Hall. It was a gift from the German Ministry of Culture and Arts. Herter was the subject of the book by Georg Malkowsky "Ernst Herter, Beitrag zurGeschichte der Berliner Bildhauerschule" published in 1906. On page 57 appears the photograph of the statue "Der Ruhende Alexander" (The Resting Alexander). A marble version of this statue is the subject of an open restitution claim. See Link to pending claim in References.
Selected sculptures
• Illustration — Dying Achilles, Achilleion Palace, Corfu, Greece • Illustration — The Lorelei Fountain, The Bronx, New York City • Illustration — War Memorial, 1875, Berlin-Spandau • Illustration — The Rare Catch, 1896 Viktoriapark Berlin • Illustration — Orpheus, 1902 Berlin-Wedding • Illustration — The Muse Terpsichore, 1909, Thorn
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Sculpture
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