German Artist, Heroes of the Nibelungenlied, Cast Iron, Late 19th Century, Set of 2

Details

Description

Two nearly life-size cast iron statues with rich detail and bronze patina.

Dimensions left: 153 x 60 x 40 cm
… Read more Two nearly life-size cast iron statues with rich detail and bronze patina.

Dimensions left: 153 x 60 x 40 cm
Dimensions right: 154 x 50 x 40 cm

The statues most likely depict central heroes from the Nibelungen saga. The statue on the left is depicted with a bear on its helmet, suggesting that it is Dietrich von Bern. This leads us to conclude that the hero on the right is Hagen, whose helmet is crowned with a swan.

In the Nibelungenlied, Dietrich von Bern fights Hagen von Tronje and Volker von Alzey and defeats both of them. Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld's (1794-1872) interpretations of the Nibelungenlied in the frescoes of the Munich Residenz combine the two characters from the literary source with this representation variant as Old German knights. In particular, in the woodcut "Hagen is defeated by Dietrich von Bern" for "Der Nibelungen noth, illustrirt mit holzschnitten nach Zeichnungen von Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld und Eugen Neureuther" (The Nibelungen's Plight, illustrated with woodcuts based on drawings by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld and Eugen Neureuther) from 1843, Dietrich is attributed with the lion helmet and Hagen with the swan.

The statues do not have a foundry stamp and are in good condition. The sword blade of the left statue is missing. See less