Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 17.djvu/167

KIETI. 147 EIFLE-BIRD. school, and a public library of 30,000 volumes. The chief trade is in wine, oil, and fruit. Kieti, the ancient Jictiic, was a noted city of the Sabines. Population (commune), in 1901, 17,977. KIETSCHEL, rech'd, Ernst (1804-01). An eminent German sculptor, founder of the Dresden school of plastic art. Born at Pulsnitz. Saxon Lusatia, December 15, 1804, he underwent the severest privations in his youth, and began his artistic training at the Dresden Academy, in 1820, still contending with extreme poverty, until he won prizes for his drawings, which were, more- over, bouglit for the academy as models to be copied. In 1826 he became the pupil of Ranch, in Berlin, and in 1827 was granted a stipend by the Saxon Government, of which, however, he did not avail himself for the purpose of visiting Italy un- til 1830, after having assisted his master in the completion of various w'orks, notably of the monu- ment to King Max I. at Munich, in 1829. From Italy he returned to Berlin in 1831, and in 1832 was appointed professor at the academy in Dres- den, where he resided until his death, February 21, 1861. Rietschel's first work of importance was the '•Monument of King Frederick Augustus I." (1829-39), in the Zwinger at Dresden, but simul- taneously he worked on the twelve great reliefs, illustrative of the "ilain Epochs of Civilization" (1835-38), in the Aula of Leipzig University. Next came the admirable group in high relief, in the pediment of the Opera House in Berlin (1844). with the "Muse of Music" in the centre, and from about the same time dates "The Christ Angel." a beautiful relief, w'idely known through reproductions, and presented by the master to the Art Union of Dresden. The first work to give evidence of Rietschel's accomplished master- ship, and to demonstrate his peculiar tendency in art. was the famous "Pieta" (c.l847), constitut- ing the finest ornament of the Friedeuskirche at Potsdam. Among his best creations are to be numbered the statues of "Thaer," the agricul- turist (1850), at Leipzig, and of "Lessing" (1853), at Brunswick, a truly classical example of realistic portrait sculpture. In 1852 he began the "Emblematic Sculptures" on the exterior of the Dresden iluseum, the cornice of which he also adorned with statues of Pericles,^' "Phidias," "Giotto." "Diirer," "Holbein." and "Goethe." In the meanwhile he also modeled the heroic-size "Goethe-Schiller Monument" (erected 1857) for Weimar, and in 1857 fashioned his celebrated bust of "Raucli," unsurpassed probably by any por- trait bust of the century. This was followed by the "Quadriga" (1860), vpith the magnificent figure of "Brunonia," for the ducal palace at Brunswick, executed in copper by Howaldt. In the same year was unveiled the masterly statue of "Weber" at Dresden. For the Walhalla, Regensburg, he executed the busts of "Luther." "Elector Augustus II.," besides other busts and relief portraits. Of his last and most elaborate production, the "Luther Monument" at Worms, he was only able to finish the figures of Luther and Wiclif", while the completion of his design was intrusted to his pupils Donndorf and Kietz (1868). A collection of casts and models of all his works is preserved in the Rietschel Museum at Dresden. Consult his Autobiography, edited and supplemented by Oppermann (Leipzig, 1873) ; Peeht, Deutsche Kihistler, j. (Niirdlingen, 1877) ; and Hikfucchscl xtcischen Rauch und Rietschel (Berlin, 1890-91). KIETZ, rets, Jl'Uus (1812-77). A German conductor and composer, born in Berlin, lie studied the 'cello under Schmidt, Bcrnliard Romberg, and Gans; and when sixteen yearn old, joined the orchestra of the Kijnigstiiilter Theater, for which he wrote the music to Holtci's play Lorbecrhaum und HrllrlsUib. In 1834 he was appointed assistant conductor at the DUsseldorf Opera under Mendelssohn, whom he succeeded the following year. In 1847 he was called to Leipzig as theatre kapellmeister and conductor of the Singakademic. In 1848 he suc- ceeded Mendelssohn as conductor of the Gewaiid- haus concerts and as teacher of compositimi at the Conservatory. He was called to Dresden in 1860 to succeed Reissiger as Court kapellmeister. Here he conducted the opera and afterwards un- dertook the direction of the Roj'al Conservatory. As a composer he belongs to the yoiniger classic school and was strongly opposed to the Neo-German movement. Among his works are the operas. Das Miidchen aus dcr Fremde (1833) and J cry und Bdtely (c.1840) ; three symphonies, several overtures to plays, flute sonatas, violin son- atas, motets, masses, psalms, and a quantity of other church music. He died at Dresden. RIEZLER, rets'ler, SlKCMrxn voN (1843-). A German historian, born in Munich. He was edu- cated there, became a docent in 1869, and after ten years as head of the archives and library of Donauesehingen was made court and city librar- ian in Munich, in 1883, and director of the Maximilianeum in 1885. His works, dealing for the most part with Bavarian history, include: Das Herzogtum Bayern zur Zeit Heinrichs des Lowen (1867, with Heigel), Der Krcuzzug Kaiser Friedrichs I. (1870), the great Oeschichtc Bayerns (1878-99), Die bayrisehe Politik im SchmalkaMischcn Kriege (1895), and Geschichte der Bexenprozesse in Bayern (1896). RIFF, The (Er-Rif). A name given to the mountain region bordering the north coast of iloroceo from Ceuta eastward nearly to the borders of Algeria and included in the Atlas system. The rugged coast, the principal projec- tion of which is Cape Tres Forcas, is almost without harbors. The inhabitants are pure Ber- bers in blood. In the French conquest of Algeria they were not molested, and they are said to live in a state of chronic revolt against the Sultan of Morocco. They were formerly noted for piracy. The people understand or speak Arabic only to a very slight extent, Slileh or Shluh being their native tongue. They are said to be untrust- worthy. RIFLE-BIRD, or Rifleman. An Austra- lian bird of paradise (Pfiloris paradiseus). with a long curved bill, and in size about equal to a large pigeon. The upper parts are velvety black. tinged with purple: the under parts velvety black, diversified with olive-green. The crown of the head and the throat are covered with in- numerable little specks of emerald green, of most brilliant lustre. The tail is black, the two cen- tral feathers rich metallic green. The female is much more plainly colored. The name was given by early Austr.ilian settlers in allusion to the resemblance between the plumage of the male and the uniform of a familiar rifle brigade.