Sculpture in the Laeiszhof
The sculpture in the Laeiszhof ( Laeiszdenkmal ) is a monumental group of figures that stands in the entrance hall of the Laeiszhof in Hamburg's old town. The shipping company Laeisz ordered it for their office building , where it was installed in 1903. It was created by the sculptor Caesar Scharff (1864–1902), who no longer saw the installation. The work of art is dedicated to the shipowners of "Hamburgs Handel und Schifffahrt" and honors the professions associated with it.
description
The dominant figure is a man who stands on a pedestal in the middle and symbolizes the seaman profession. He is only dressed in a loincloth and a southwest jacket and his gaze is directed into the distance. In his right arm he carries a model of a ship.
On the left side of the pedestal sits a woman with a book on her lap. It represents the insurance industry, an important line of business for the Laeisz company. Her left arm is raised, as if to protect the seaman standing behind it.
On the right sits a man with a propeller in his hands, easily recognizable as a shipyard worker. His gaze is directed towards the workpiece.
The figures can also be interpreted as allegories of the civil virtues of strength (seaman), diligence (shipyard workers) and care (female figure - insurance).
The background of the group of three is formed by a back wall on which reliefs with harbor scenes can be seen. Among other things, the "Prussia" is shown, a ship belonging to the Laeisz shipping company, which at the time was considered the largest sailor in the world.
Woman (insurance)
sailor
Shipyard workers
literature
- Volker Plagemann: Father city, fatherland, God protect you with a strong hand: monuments in Hamburg. Hans Christians, Hamburg 1986, ISBN 3-7672-0967-5 .
- Volker Plagemann (ed.): Industrial culture in Hamburg: The German Empire's gate to the world. Beck, Munich 1984, ISBN 3-406-09675-1 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Commemoration of the unveiling of the Laeisz monument on April 26, 1903 . Verl.-Anst. u. Dr. A.-G, Hamburg 1903 ( joint union catalog ).
Coordinates: 53 ° 32 ′ 51.9 ″ N , 9 ° 59 ′ 32.1 ″ E