Original scientific paper
THE BAN JOSIP JELAČIĆ MONUMENT IN ZAGREB (Commemorating the 150th anniversary of the monument's erection and 215 years since Jelačić was born)
Ivan Srša
; Hrvatski restauratorski zavod, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Abstract
The paper deals with the historical research results in respect to Ban Josip Jelačić's monument erected in 1866. In 1947 the monument was dismantled, disassembled into pieces and stored in the Gliptoteka storeroom, whereas its base was completely destroyed. Just before it was returned to the Zagreb square of the same name in 1990, research was made in order to gather relevant data that might be used in elaborating the project for a new base and for the treatment of the monument in art-conservation and restoration terms. Along with the accessible archive sources and literature, the research was mainly based on material published in the daily press of those times.
On basis of such research it was determined that the stone of which the original base had been made of was from Moslavina, and that it was the work of the Viennese sculptor Strešnjak (Strechank). The brass for the monument was acquired by melting down artillery pieces, and the casting was done in the Anton Dominik Fernkorn foundry, the Viennese sculptor from whom the statue’s production had originally been ordered from. However, the most important research result was the fact that the initial idea for the statue had been essentially different in respect to all subsequent sketches and known models, especially the one that had been finally carried out. Bearing in mind Fernkorn’s later abandoning this especially difficult initial sketch, and then making comparisons with the final result that is the least complex one in respect to the overall known sketches and models, the question arose as to his part in the statue’s authorship. It was concluded that after all, the major part of the authorship belonged to the group of Fernkorn’s close collaborators, among which were the following sculptors: Franz Pönninger, Theodor Friedl, Franz Braig and Joseph Weissman, whereas Anton Dominik Fernkorn controlled the works, to the extent his poor health allowed him to.
Keywords
Zagreb; ban Josip Jelačić statue; Anton Dominik Fernkorn
Hrčak ID:
171215
URI
Publication date:
30.11.2016.
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