Sylvie von Ziegesar
1785–1858 · German noblewoman of the Weimar Classicism circle
Sylvie von Ziegesar (born at Drackendorf, near Jena, 21 June 1785 – died 13 February 1858) was a German noblewoman who moved in the intellectual circles of Weimar Classicism. There is no record that she worked as a painter; her interest lies in her place within that cultured society and in her connection with Goethe. She was the daughter of Baron August Friedrich Carl von Ziegesar, a privy councillor of Gotha, and Baroness Magdalene Auguste von Ziegesar.
The Ziegesar family home at Drackendorf often hosted Goethe, who walked with the young daughter of the house to the ruins of the Lobdeburg. One of these walks inspired the poem "Bergschloss" in 1802, and the poet later dedicated another to her, titled "To Sylvie von Ziegesar". A note she wrote to her nephew claims that the poem was composed at her sewing table. A 2014 newspaper article describes the relationship as closer still, with Goethe falling in love with her.
She was a friend of the painter Louise Seidler and of the intellectual Pauline Gotter. She is known mainly for her bond with Goethe and for the cultural world she shared with him.