Johannes Georg Bednorz

Johannes Georg Bednorz , 1950-, German physicist. After earning his doctorate from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, he began (1982) work at the IBM Zürich Research Laboratory with Karl Alex Müller . In 1983 they discovered superconductivity in a ceramic fragment at temperatures much higher than had been previously thought possible. Their discovery made possible applications in power lines, generators, and computers. In 1987, Bednorz and Müller were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics.

Zoffany, Johann (1733–1810). German-born painter who settled in England in 1760 after working in Rome. He was patronized by the famous actor David Garrick and made his name with paintings representing scenes from plays, usually showing Garrick in one of his favourite parts. They show how quickly he adapted to English taste, and he also painted conversation pieces of much the same small scale and in the same relaxed vein. No doubt because of his German background, he was taken up by George III and Queen Charlotte and he painted numerous works for the royal family. The two most important (still in the Royal Collection) are The Academicians of the Royal Academy (1772) and The Tribuna of the Uffizi (1772–8). For the latter he made a long visit to Florence (1772–9) and when he returned to England he found that the vogue for conversation pieces had passed its peak. Because of the slump in his market he moved to India in 1783 and made a fortune painting Indian princes and expatriate Britons before returning to England in 1789. As a wealthy man he now had no need to earn a living from his work and he seems to have stopped painting in about 1800. At the time of his death he was regarded as a curiosity from another age and for many years his paintings were valued chiefly as historical records (they are sharp and clear in detail and contain a wealth of information about costume, etc.); however, he is now also appreciated for his charm and recognized as an artist who brought new life to the conversation piece.

Ridinger, or Riedinger, Georg (1568–c.1628). German Renaissance architect. His greatest work was Schloss Johannisburg, Aschaffenburg (1605–14—for Johann Schweikart von Kronberg, Archbishop/Elector of Mainz (reigned 1604–26) ), built round a central courtyard with four massive towers at the corners, an arrangement possibly prompted by Du Cerceau's publications. The gables were decorated with Mannerist devices reminiscent of aspects of Dietterlin's works. This showpiece of Renaissance architecture was influential throughout Germany for the next century.

Bibliography

Bachmann (1970);
Hitchcock (1981);
Kreisel (1932);
Roda (1982)