Franziska Romana Jaksch von Wartenhorst
1896 - 1973
Franziska Romana Jaksch von Wartenhorst was born in Prague on February 23rd, 1896. She was the daughter of Professor Doctor Rudolf Jaksch von Wartenhorst (professor of special pathology and venereal therapy at the German university in Prague) and Mrs. Adele, née baroness Haerdtl, from Vienna. Because she was a sickly child, she first got private tuition. Until 1909, she attended elementary and civil school. Then she studied privately until she attended the imperial and royal German-Czech mixed school for arts and crafts in Prague from 1912 till 1916, whose head was the painter Professor Jakesch. Subsequently, she studied with Gorm-Rottmayer at the school for arts and crafts in Vienna (later Academy for Applied Arts, now University for Applied Arts). In 1914, F.J. attended graphic courses with Professor Hugo Steiner in Prague, in Leipzig, and with Emil Orlik ?1870–1932? in Berlin. From 1916 till 1919, J. was a student of Rudolf Larisch ?1856-1934? (calligraphy) and Ludwig Michalek at the graphic educational and research institute in Vienna. With the latter she attended to the art of etching. With Professor W. Unger she learned how to decorate books, with Brandlmayer she studied lithography, and with Professor Wodnansky the art of drawing. Since 1913, F.J. had already been artistically busy apart from her studies, dealing mainly with etching and the illustration of books.
In the year 1919, her only brother died as a result of an illness which
he had contracted during the war, and so she had to take over the management
of a big family property. Apart from her work as a steward she had only
little time for her artistic sphere. In 1920 she studied at the academy
of fine arts in Prague in the course of a special class of graphic arts
with August Brömse. In 1921/22, she was a master student with Emil
Orlik in Berlin. 1922 was the year she definitely broke off her studies
of art and took over the large-sized landgrave estate in Bohemia. Apart
from the administrative work concerning the property, she also had to
study forestry. In 1937/38 she passed the state exam for the study of
forestry. Despite her full-time occupation, F.J. worked as a freelance
artist in Czechoslovakia from 1925 to 1945. At the same time, she dealt
with the local chronicle, heraldry and the exploration of prehistory in
connection with archaeological excavation sites and their protection.
During the German occupation of Czechoslovakia (protectorate), she was
given the ownership of the estates under political pressure in 1941/42.
On June 9th, 1945, immediatley after the end of the war, the dispossession
of all properties took place. Because she took care of her father, who
had become impoverished in the meantime, she was not expelled first. She
was employed in the Czech forestry commission (forestry inspection Mies).
In the end, she worked in the state domain Krukanitz. She was promoted
to head forester after the foundation of the communist people´s
republic. After her father´s death on January 8th, 1947, she was
only able to leave the country for Austria in 1948, after the overcoming
various difficulties. She came to Vienna in May 1948. From June 1948,
she worked as a gardener at Van der Straatensch´s estate management
in Vienna´s 13th district. F.J. was awarded the Austrian citizenship
already on December 10th, 1948. Having been unemployed in the forestry
for some time, she decided to devote herself to her artistic leanings
again. After she had been employed as a preserver in the prehistoric department
at the natural historic museum in Vienna for six months, she found work
at the federal institute for the protection of historical monuments in
1949. One of her first occupations was the recomposition of the pieces
of the fresco from the room “K“ on the Carinthian Magdalensberg,
which was leading Professor Rudolf Egger ?1882-1969?. At the same time,
F.J. began to study technology and restoration at the academy of fine
arts in Vienna with Professor Robert Eigenberger and Professor Paris Gütersloh,
which she, nearly fifty years old, finished with a diploma of an academic
restorer. In September and October 1954, she completed a study trip to
Italy, where she helped rescuing the frescos of Gryphius´s Casa
on the Palatin in Rome (200B.C.). Because of her achievements as a restorer,
Franziska Jaksch was awarded the job title “Professor“ by
the Austrian president.
Franziska Jaksch apparently gave up her graphic occupation completely
after the Second World War. Till the end of her life, she worked at the
Federal Institute for the Protection of Historical Monuments, where she
dealt with significant restorations. She died on July 10th, 1973 in Vienna
and was buried here in the cementary of Baumgarten.
Tillfried Cernajsek
