Schnaase was born in Danzig (Gdańsk) in West Prussia. As a law student at the University of Heidelberg, Schnaase attended the lectures of Hegel on philosophy in the spring of 1817. In the fall of 1818 he followed Hegel to the University of Berlin, where he attended the lectures that would become the "Encyclopedia of the Philosophical Sciences". However, his philosophical studies were cut short when he passed his first juristic exam in July 1819, and received a position in the municipal court of Danzig. Before returning to Danzing, Schnaase travelled to Dresden, and was deeply impressed by the art collections of that city.