441b. Schelling to Karl Schelling in Stuttgart: Munich, 25 May 1809 [*]
Munich, 25 May 1809
. . . My bust will soon be finished. From all appearances at this point, it is going to bear quite a good resemblance to me and be quite expressive. As soon as a cast can be made of it, I will send one to our dear parents. [1] — I will then also see about having a painted portrait done of me that is also a good resemblance and is good enough.
If Father is insisting on sending me some of his wine, despite the fact that I do not quite see how I merit such a handsome and generous gift, not least because, after all, I am hoping to spend at least a few weeks in Württemberg this summer, when I would then have ample opportunity to do justice to his wine on site — then I must say that it would indeed stand me in good stead given the proximity of summer. [2] I do, however, fear that the constant troop movements and war transports are still creating enormous difficulties. Augsburg is a central staging area, and transportation is also still extremely clogged in the area around Ingolstadt as well. [3] The forwarder there would have to guarantee that the wine would not be held up in transport anywhere along the way and run the risk of going bad. [4]
Notes
[*] Sources: Plitt 2:158; Fuhrmans 3:606. Back.
[1] Concerning Friedrich Tieck’s bust of Schelling, see Caroline’s letter to Luise Wiedemann on 21 February 1809 (letter 439), note 3. Back.
[2] Schelling’s parents had been living in Maulbronn since late 1807. See Schelling’s letter to his father on 11 October 1807 (letter 425d), esp. note 1. Back.
[3] The battles of Aspern and Essling had just concluded, and an armistice then allowed the armies to secure reinforcements; see the supplementary appendix on the War of 1809, chaps. 12–14.
Maulbronn is located northwest of Stuttgart, and the various postal and transport routes between it and Munich and the other towns Schelling cites were in part also largely the routes between France and Bavaria and Vienna (J. Walch, Neueste Post-Karte von Deutschland und dessen angrenzenden Laendern [Augsburg 1813 ]):
[4] Schelling’s own illness prevented a journey during the summer of 1809 (illustration [excerpt]: anonymous, Frau am Krankenbett [ca. 1771–1800]; Herzog August Bibliothek; Museums./Signatur Graph. Res. C: 1 oben rechts):
As it turned out, that journey during late summer/early fall would be Caroline’s last.
By 17 July 1809, Schelling must have mentioned to Karl that a visit to Maulbronn for (the end of?) September was at least being contemplated, since on that date Karl wrote to Schelling (Fuhrmans 3:614) that “Father will be coming here [Stuttgart] at the end of September for the synod, and yet I would rather he be able to enjoy your company in his own home in Maulbronn.”
Schelling’s father, as ephorus in Maulbronn, was not only the head of the school there (basically the rector), but also the secular representative in clerical matters who was responsible for representing Maulbronn at the Württemberg synods in Stuttgart (a synod in Amsterdam in 1730, anonymous, Synode im Chor der Neukirche in Amsterdam 1730; Wien Museum Inv.-Nr. 199039):
Translation © 2018 Doug Stott