Breymann's father was a pastor who, along with his fellow preachers, provided Adolf's earliest education. When his father was transferred to Watzum (near Wolfenbüttel), he entered the Gymnasium, where his artistic inclinations first expressed themselves. His father still desired a practical career for him and wanted him to study architecture, but he had no talent for mathematics. Sculpture was their second choice, so he was apprenticed to Theodor Strümpell (1818–1890), the Royal Sculptor of
Brunswick. In 1859, he went to the
Dresden Academy of Fine Arts and continued his studies with
Georg Ferdinand Howaldt. He entered the workshop of
Johannes Schilling in 1861. After several years there, he was able to make a long-awaited study trip to Italy and remained for two years. In 1873, his statue of
Henry the Lion was awarded a Silver Medal at the
Universal Exposition in Vienna. He personally supervised the installation of two angels he had designed for
Prince Albert's Mausoleum at
Frogmore House. In 1878, he was stricken with an incurable stomach ailment and was taken to his family's home in Wolfenbüttel, where he died shortly thereafter.
Other selected works •
Siegesdenkmal (Victory Monument), 1881, in Braunschweig, which was completed by
Robert Diez after Breymann's death. •
Kriegerdenkmal (War Memorial), 1870/71 (unveiled 1876), in
Göttingen on the Bahnhofstraße, by the "Alleetor". ==References==