Praha, p. Wallenstein, garden, Wrestlers

Title:

Praha, p. Wallenstein, garden, Wrestlers

Publisher:

von Wallenstein, Albrecht

Identifier:

olympos_cz:PB9845200000158792

Subject:

wreath and pugilatores

Type:

socha

Description:

Bronz statue: two naked wreastlers, between them a little shrub with a wreath leaning against its trunk. In Wallenstein's time an elaborate Neptun fountain stood in front of Sala Terrena, which was complemented by four bronze sculptural groups on marble bases which stood between the fountain and Sala Terrena. Laocoon and the Wrestlers were probably standing side by side, the former symbolizing punished impiety and the latter defeated revolt. To the left of the group with Laocoon, in which resistance was condemned, the group with Venus and Adonis could have stood, in which the advantages of forethoughtful submission were celebrated. The group of Venus and Adonis would form a couple with the group of Bacchus and the little Satyr celebrating the blessings of the epoch of peace. The playful fight of Bachus and Satyr would form a contrasting pair with the deadly fight of Wrestlers at the opposite end of the row. All statues were made between 1623 and 1627 in the Prague studio of Adrien de Vries, former Court Sculptor to Emperor Rudolf II., Fučíková, Čepička 2007#, 443-444 (Eliška Fučíková), and Adrian de Vries characterized his statue as Groppa die mideinander ringen (group of those who wrestle with each other). The left wrestler is represented in a deep forward bend; evidently he is trying to pull the right wrestler down to the ground with both his hands. With his left he has grasped his opponent's shoulder and with the other hand his thigh. He is the aggressor; he started the fight, while the right wrestler only resolutely reacts to his action and successfully defends himself. He is represented standing firmly upright with legs apart, but he is not attacking, he holds the hands of the aggressor with both his hands so that he can force them away from his body. The right wrestler is evidently the winner, because in the next moment the aggressor will be lying on the ground. The allegorical content of the "wrestlers" is made clear by a laurel wreath which is represented on the ground, a prize waiting for the victor, who fought with honour. The Wrestlers might be a distant echo of an ancient Roman statue (today in the Uffizi) but most probably they were also an allusion to the defeat of the Bohemian rebels in 1620.

Rights:

autorská práva www.olympos.cz

Harvested from:

Pamatky

Metadata only:

false

Date:

1625