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August Kestner

1777 – 1853

German diplomat and collector of art

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About August Kestner

Lived 1777 – 1853 (aged 75–76). August Kestner was a German diplomat, archaeologist, art collector, art historian, collector and writer.

Georg Christian August Kestner (28 November 1777, in Hanover – 5 March 1853, in Rome) was a German diplomat and art collector.

Life Kestner was the son of civil servant Johann Christian Kestner and his wife Charlotte Buff.

From 1796 to 1799 Kestner studied law at the University of Göttingen and was immediately afterwards called up as a Vernehmungsrichter (interrogation judge) at the court in Hanover.

In 1803 Kestner was appointed 'secret office-secretary in the civil service'. As such, he made his living from 1818 to 1849, among other things, as an official envoy and Minister-resident in Rome and Naples. Also he was a diplomat of Hanover to the Holy See in Rome. As an art lover, he gathered small objects from Egyptian as well as Greco-Roman art. He, Theodor Panofka and Otto Magnus von Stackelberg founded the "Instituto di Corrispondenza Archeologica" in 1829, later to become the German Archaeological Institute, and was in 1838 entrusted with its direction as its secretary-general.

After his retirement from the civil service, Kestner lived in Rome until his death on 5 March 1853.

The Kestner-Museum in Hanover is named after him.

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Important facts

Born
1777, Hanover
Birth century
Died
1853, Rome
Education
University of Göttingen
Positions held
Minister resident, Secretary of legation
Also known as
Georg August Christian Kestner, Georg Christian August Kestner

People in August Kestner's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped August Kestner's

Frequently asked questions

Who was August Kestner?

German diplomat and collector of art

When was August Kestner born?

August Kestner was born in 1777 in Hanover.

When did August Kestner die?

August Kestner died in 1853 in Rome.

What was August Kestner's occupation?

August Kestner was a diplomat, archaeologist, art collector, art historian, collector and writer.

What nationality was August Kestner?

August Kestner was German.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: August Kestner

· Wikidata: Q97466

· DBpedia: August Kestner

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). August Kestner. https://biography.guide/august-kestner/

MLA: "August Kestner." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/august-kestner/.

Chicago: "August Kestner." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/august-kestner/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Portrait: Wikimedia Commons · author & licence

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