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Beethovenplatz (1.)

Ludwig van Beethoven

Bonn 1770 - Wien 1827
German composer and pianist
(Wikipedia)
Caspar von Zumbusch
Karl Turbain
1880

Wien /  Ludwig van Beethoven   Wien /  Ludwig van Beethoven

Description

Bronze statue of Beethoven sitting on a chair. At the sides of the pedestal sit Prometheus (during the vulture's attack) and Nike (Victory, a winged female with laurel wreath), they impersonate the suffering for the sake of humanity and eternal glory.
On the front and back of the pedestal are nine putti: "The composer's gift to the world is symbolized by a ring of nine putti, five in front and four in back, who represent - on one level - the nine symphonies. They may also stand for the different aspects of Beethoven's music: heroic, pastoral, elegiac, tragic, idyllic, painful, pastoral. The (left-handed!) lute player in the center (the only putto with wings) of the front group is balanced by the figure of a swan on the verso of the monument - possibly a literal reference to Beethoven's swan song of the Ninth Symphony." (Comini, p. 352).

(click on the photo for an enlargement in a separate window.)
Wien - Ludwig van Beethoven Wien - Ludwig van Beethoven Wien - Ludwig van Beethoven Wien - Ludwig van Beethoven

Inscription(s)

LUDWIG
van
BEETHOVEN
errichtet
mdccclxxx.

Signature

c. zumbusch fecit
Gegossen c. turbain
(pedestal) eduard hauser / steinmetzmeister.

Annotation

Unveiled 1 May 1880.

Sculptor

Sources & Information

Tags

  • Beethoven, Ludwig van
  • Composer
  • Man (sitting)
  • Prometheus
  • Statue (man sitting)
  • Swan
  • Turbain, Karl
  • Victory
  • Zumbusch, Caspar von
  • Locatie (N 48°12'6" - E 16°22'37") (Satellite view: Google Maps)

    Item Code: atwi090; Photograph: 10 September 2012
    Of each statue we made photos from various angles and also detail photos of the various texts.
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    © Website and photos: René & Peter van der Krogt

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