King Johann Monument
The King Johann Monument is a bronze, six meter (with its richly designed base 13.50 meter) high equestrian statue of the Saxon King Johann on the Dresden Theaterplatz , which was created by Johannes Schilling from 1882 and unveiled in 1889. In the baroque tradition, it stands as a point de vue at the intersection of the central axes of the Semperoper and Sempergalerie .
history
Theater square design
The theater square was designed from 1840 onwards, after a first part of the so-called “Italian village” located there (a workers' settlement consisting of several huts and one and a half-story houses, which arose during the construction of the Catholic Court Church ) from 1838 for the construction of the royal Hoftheater Dresden ("1. Semperoper") had been demolished. In 1846 the decision was made not to pursue Gottfried Semper's forum plan , but to close the north side of the Zwinger, which had been open until then, with the (later so-called) Semper Gallery .
One idea was to make the memorial created by Ernst Rietschel for King Friedrich August I in 1843 the center of the newly created square, which by 1854 was - with the exception of a few remains on the north side - cleared Italian village, which, however, met with resistance: The monument remained in its place in the center of the Dresden Zwinger.
After the reconstruction of the Semperoper ("2nd Semperoper") by 1878, the design of the square gained new impetus (the uniform paving dates from this time), with the erection of a monument now becoming the focus.
Monument to King John
In January 1881, the Dresden Military Association collected the first donations for a monument to King John, although this was not yet intended for a specific location and which initially sparked discussions with the city, which feared that there would be no worthy implementation. But when a Dresden citizens' committee was formed in March of the same year, it was placed on a solid foundation, although the inflow of donations was lower than expected. Only the approval of the Kgl. Ministry of Finance to contribute a substantial sum brought a new boost. The Dresden Citizens' Committee made it clear, however, that only the sculptors Ernst Hähnel and / or Johannes Schilling could be used for the implementation , the former waived the commission in favor of his friend Schilling.
Location and execution
Schilling suggested the theater square as the location and submitted the proposal for an equestrian statue to the committee. The order was placed on July 1, 1882, but Johannes Schilling worked on the design for an exceptionally long time: he did not complete the models until the beginning of May 1888. In 1889 the bronze equestrian statue was cast by C. Albert Bierling's foundry , while the substructure had been designed by the architects Karl Weißbach and Karl Barth until then . On June 18, 1889, it was inaugurated in the presence of King Albert during the Wettin celebration for the 800th anniversary of the enfeoffment of the Wettins with the Margraviate of Meißen . The city of Dresden contributed 30,000 marks and the state art fund 105,000 marks to the cost of 286,000 marks.
History of the last decades
The monument survived the destruction of Dresden in the air raids in 1945 , and it was also spared the bronze collection campaigns during the Nazi era . The high artistic recognition of Johann as a Dante translator saved the monument from being dismantled or destroyed during the GDR era.
Thorough cleaning and refurbishment was only possible in 2013. In 2015 there was a (so far unique) paint bag attack on the monument.
description
A stepped building made of green syenite has a base 1.75 meters high. This carries figurative relief decorations with a pronounced artistic program, groups on the two long sides symbolize agriculture and forestry as well as trade and commerce. The following are striking: "Mercury, the god of trade with his staff, the local miner, the skipper with his boat, the fisherman with his net, and above them is prosperity with its rich cornucopia."
On the side of the kennel, “nature” is enthroned as an allegory in the middle, framed by a cornucopia and bull as symbols of fertility. On the left are viticulture, sheep breeding, fruit growing and agricultural activities, to the right of her harvest, forestry and hunting, and as an interlude a girl fetching the water from the chatty spring .
On the Elbe side, in the middle is Mercury and Prosperity with a cornucopia, to the left of it mining, raw materials trading, book trade and photography; on the right the traffic with steam locomotives, telegram in the hands of a messenger, shipping (with chain towing), the Elbe with oars, bridge building and fishing.
The protruding curves at the four corners, in turn, show other groups: art and military strength on the side of the picture gallery, science and industry on the Elbe side.
Art is embodied in its seven genres, dance, acting (mask), poetry (book), music (harp), architecture (floor plan), sculpture (Hähnel's Michelangelo scene in the Semper Gallery) and painting (palette).
The defense force is symbolized by various representations of infantry, artillery and cavalry as well as a female figure, symbolizing the city of Dresden, who donates a wreath.
In addition to teaching a boy, science is presented (in front from left to right) with theology (Bible), rights (code of law), medicine (snake), philosophy (scroll and mirror), in the background various natural sciences (mathematics, chemistry, biology) ).
Industry appears as a female figure with an apron and hammer, next to it are a railroad track, a nymph turning a waterwheel, ceramics and lace.
On this basis with this large artistic program stands a three meter high pedestal, also made of syenite: It bears the simple name Johann on its front under the royal crown , and on the lower edge in a banner wound with two wreaths, the golden wedding of King John and his wife related numbers 1822–1872.
On the two long sides there are geniuses who, in a floating posture, carry plaques with sayings that are supposed to mark the character of the king. On the Elbe side the board bears the motto: “Be faithful to death, so I will give you the crown of life” (a biblical saying), on the kennel side: “Pious and truthful protects the king, and his throne endures Piety".
On the back there is a book with the portrait of Dante as a reminder of King John's scientific achievements, the government numbers 1854–1873 and a sign with the year of construction of the monument.
Above the pedestal stands the almost six meter high equestrian statue: “With the coronation cloak over the general's uniform, the scepter in his right arm, uncovered head, this is how the aged king with the mild expression of his face looks on over the world away from his feet, 'a prince who in truth walked the heights of mankind' ”, this is how it is described at the time. The portrait resemblance was successful to a high degree.
Löffler , on the other hand, criticizes the fact that the urban planning effect of the monument enhances Semper's ingenious architecture, but believes that Schilling “made it too easy” for the visual arts program.
literature
- Daniel Jacob: Sculpture Guide . Daniel Jacob, Dresden 2011, ISBN 978-3-942098-05-2 , pp. 78-80.
- The King Johann monument in Dresden . In: The Gazebo . Issue 1, 1890, pp. 35 ( full text [ Wikisource ]).
Web links
- Equestrian monument to King Johann of Saxony in Dresden on kudaba.de (with photos of the condition before the renovation in 2013 and from the GDR era, but incorrect material information on the base)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Otto Richter : History of the City of Dresden in the Years 1871 to 1902 , Zahn & Jaensch, Dresden 1903. Reprint from the collection of the University of Michigan Library, Lexington KY, 2018, p. 74.
- ^ Wellness for King Johann: equestrian statue covered in front of the Semper Opera House . In: Focus , July 4, 2013; accessed on March 29, 2018.
- ↑ A paint bag attack on the King Johann monument on Theaterplatz . dnn.de, October 19, 2015; accessed on March 29, 2018.
- ↑ a b The King Johann Monument in Dresden . In: The Gazebo . Issue 1, 1890, pp. 35 ( full text [ Wikisource ]).
- ^ Fritz Löffler: The old Dresden. History of his buildings. 11th edition, Seemann, Leipzig 1992, ISBN 3-363-00007-3 , p. 390.
Coordinates: 51 ° 3 ′ 13.9 ″ N , 13 ° 44 ′ 9.2 ″ E