Jean-Frederic Maximilien Waldeck French adventurer, antiquarian, artist, cartographer and traveler Date of Birth: 16.03.1766 Country: France

Jean-Frédéric Maximilien Waldack: A Mysterious French Adventurer and Artist

Jean-Frédéric Maximilien Waldack, a French adventurer, antiquarian, artist, cartographer, and traveler, was known for his undeniable talent and penchant for mystifying his own activities, which makes his biography somewhat unreliable. The origins of Waldack are unknown. In various books and interviews, he claimed to have been born in Paris, Vienna, or Prague, and attributed himself with French, English, or Austrian citizenship, as well as a count title. At times, he even referred to himself as a baron or duke from the ruling Waldack family.

According to Waldack himself, he embarked on a journey to South Africa in 1787, which sparked his interest in exploration. Upon his return to Paris, he studied painting under Jacques-Louis David and later participated in Napoleon's Egyptian expedition. However, these details are unverifiable, and no documents about Waldack's life, including his birthdate, exist before 1820.

In the 1830s, Waldack was involved in pornographic painting in Paris, particularly illustrating a Renaissance treatise on sexual positions called "The Positions of Aretino." Simultaneously, he became interested in Mexican history and embarked on a journey to the country. He later claimed to have discovered this treatise in a female monastery in Palenque, but this was yet another fabrication.

The result of his Mexican expedition was the book "Voyage pittoresque et archéologique dans la province d'Yucatan pendant les années 1834 et 1836," published in Paris in 1838. The book was dedicated to Lord Kingsborough and was richly illustrated. The falsified illustrations by Waldack played a significant role in shaping the field of Mayan studies in the 19th century, particularly the theories connecting Ancient America and Egypt. Waldack later collaborated closely with Charles-Étienne Brasseur de Bourbourg and illustrated his book "Monuments anciens du Mexique (Palenque, et autres ruines de l'ancienne civilisation du Mexique)" in 1866. Falsifications were present here as well, with the "Wizard's Pyramid" in Uxmal stylized to resemble an Egyptian structure, and reliefs from Palenque showing elephants, which never existed in the Yucatan.

Waldack's last personal exhibition of lithographs and paintings took place in Paris in 1866, where he claimed to be 100 years old. Official records, however, state that he was struck by a carriage on the Champs-Élysées at the age of 109 years and 45 days. (M. Stingl claimed that the artist was distracted by an attractive Parisian.)