Statues - Hither & Thither

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Wien
Wien (Land)

Beethovenplatz (1.)

Ludwig van Beethoven

Bonn 1770 - Wien 1827
German composer and pianist
(Wikipedia)

Caspar von Zumbusch
Karl Turbain
1880

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.)

Inscription(s)

LUDWIG
van
BEETHOVEN

errichtet
mdccclxxx.

Signature

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

Annotation

Unveiled 1 May 1880.

Sculptor

Caspar Clemens Eduard Ritter von Zumbusch (Herzebrock Westfalen 1830 - Rimsting 1915), Austrian sculptor of German origin (Wikipedia).

Sources & Information

Kunst und Kultur Wien, Denkmäler im Bereich der Wiener Ringstraße.
Alessandra Comini, The Changing Image of Beethoven: A Study in Mythmaking (Santa Fe NM, 2008).
Stadt Wien, Kulturgut.

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.
If you want to use photos, please contact us via the contact form (in Dutch, English or German).
© Website and photos: René & Peter van der Krogt

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