Johann Georg Michael
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Johann Georg Michael (1738-1800) was born in Landau, now part of Bad Arolsen in the German Fürstentum Waldeck. Not much is known about his life before he married in Velsen, The Netherlands, in 1764. According to the wedding certificate, Michael by then was living on the premises of Beeckestijn ("in het bosch van Beeckestijn"). His house is shown on Michael's own Beeckestijn estate map of 1772. He later moved to a small estate nearby, Rozenstein, where he had his own nursery. Michael must have worked exclusively for his patron at Beeckestijn, Jacob Boreel Jansz between his first mentioning in 1764 and the year in which Boreel died, in 1778. There is no other work known from Michael during that period. From that year onwards, however, we see that Michael starts to work in several parts of the country, although the epicentre of his work lies in the neighbourhood of Haarlem, the area in which he lived. The only time we see him working abroad, is when he makes a plan to redesign a Kurpark in Pyrmont, Germany, not far from the place he was born. The fact that his design was not executed must have been a blow to him.
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[edit] Style and influence
As the landscape style had only been introduced to The Netherlands a few years before his arrival, Johann Georg Michael is considered to be the first architect in The Netherlands to work in the early landscape style. This basically means the layout of the gardens was a mix of old-style avenues and straight lines, combined with the winding paths and waterways which were dominant in the landscape style. Although many state otherwise, there is no proof that Michael went to England before he started working at Beeckestijn. That does ofcourse not answer the question where the inspiration for the use of the landscape style at Beeckestijn came from. But Boreel had just returned from England in 1763 after spending almost 4 consecutive years in London as special envoy and ambassador for The Netherlands, so it is quite clear where that particular inspiration originated. Michael started a complete dynasty of landscape architects in The Netherlands which lasted into the first decade of the 20th century: in 1788 his daughter married the landscape arcitect Johann David Zocher, who had moved with his parents from Germany to The Netherlands in 1780 and became Michael's apprentice. Johann David Zocher was to become the main landscape designer of The Netherlands in his day, setting the standard for his colleagues and his children. His grandson Louis Paul Zocher was the last landscaping representative of the family, he died in 1915.
[edit] Michael's works
This is a complete list of the gardens Johann Georg Michael worked on or made plans for with certainty.
(1765) Beeckestijn, Velsen-Zuid
(1781) Waterland, Velsen-Zuid
(1781) Fraeylamaborg (plan not executed), Slochteren
(1783) Biljoen / Beekhuizen, Velp
(1784) Doorwerth, Doorwerth
(1783-86) Kurpark Pyrmont, Bad Pyrmont
(1786) Voorland, Watergraafsmeer (now Amsterdam)
(1788) Oosterduin, Overveen
(1788-89) Welgelegen / Haarlemmerhout, Haarlem
(1790) Staverden, Staverden
(1792) Singelwandeling, Arnhem
(1793) Wildhoef, Bloemendaal
(1794) Oud-Berckenroede, Heemstede
(1795-96) Adrichem, Beverwijk
[edit] Work attributed to Michael
The following is a list of works that have been attributed to Johann Georg Michael, with a reference to the attributor. These refer to the literature section further down this page.
(1778) Vogelenzang, Vogelenzang (attribution by C.S. Oldenburger 1990)
(1781) Elswout, Overveen (attribution by P.J. Lutgers 1837-1844)
(1794?) Broekhuizen, Leersum
Bloemenheuvel, ? (attribution by: H.W.M van der Wijck 1979)
Boekenrode, Heemstede? (attribution by L.H. Albers 1984)
Groeneveld, Baarn (attribution by: H.W.M. van der Wijck 1982)
Velserbeek, Velsen (attribution by: H.W.M. van der Wijck 1982)
Sparrendaal, ? (attribution by C.S. Oldenburger 1990)
Twickel, Ambt Delden (attribution by: H.W.M. van der Wijck 1982)
[edit] Literature
Numan, H., Vierentwintig Printteekeningen met couleuren, verbeeldende Hollandsche Buitenplaatzen, met derzelver beschrijvingen. Na het leven getekent en in plaat gebracht. Amsterdam, 1797.
Lutgers, P.J., Gezichten in de omstreken van Haarlem, 1837-1844.
Lutgers, P.J. and W.J. Hofdijk, Gezichten in de omstreken van Utrecht, 1869.
Kruizinga, J.H., Watergraafsmeer, eens een parel aan de kroon van Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1948, p145-152.
Wijck, H.W.M van der, 'Overzicht van de (belangrijkste) in landschappelijke stijl aangelegde buitens in Nederland', in: Tentoonstellingscatalogus Lucas Pieters Roodbaard (Fries Museum), Leeuwarden voorjaar 1979, p12.
Wijck, H.W.M van der, De Nederlandse buitenplaats, Alphen a/d Rijn, 1982.
Albers, L.H., Landgoederen van Zuid-Kennemerland, Amsterdam 1984, p102.
Oldenburger-Ebbers, C.S., 'De tuinarchitectuur van de Zochers', in: Groen 7 (1990), p9.
Oldenburger-Ebbers, C.S., 'De tuinarchitectuur van Johann Georg Michael (1738-1800)', in: Bulletin KNOB 90 (1991), No. 3, p73-79.
