Bohuslav Schnirch
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Bohuslav Bedřich Josef Schnirch (10 August 1845,
Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
– 30 September 1901, Prague) was a Czech sculptor, designer, and preservationist.


Biography

Schnirch's father was the builder and engineer, , and his great-uncle, Bedřich Schnirch, designed railways and bridges. He studied
civil engineering Civil engineering is a regulation and licensure in engineering, professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads ...
and architecture at the
Czech Technical University Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU) () is one of the largest universities in the Czech Republic with 8 faculties, and is one of the oldest institutes of technology in Central Europe. It is also the oldest non-military technical universi ...
, where he was a student of
Josef Zítek Josef von Zítek (4 April 1832 – 9 September 1909) was a Czech architect best known for two Neo-Renaissance landmarks in Prague, the National Theatre and the Rudolfinum. Life and work Zítek's father died of cholera shortly before he was b ...
. He continued his studies in Vienna with Professors
Franz Bauer Franz Andreas Bauer (later Francis) (14 March 1758 – 11 December 1840) was an Austrian microscopist and botanical artist. Born in Feldsberg, Lower Austria (now Valtice, Czech Republic), he was the son of Lucas Bauer (died 1761), court pain ...
and Franz Melnitzky, and in Munich with Max von Widnmann. During his stay in Italy, from 1871 to 1873, he was heavily influenced by
Renaissance sculpture Renaissance sculpture is understood as a process of recovery of the sculpture of classical antiquity. Sculptors found in the artistic remains and in the discoveries of sites of that bygone era the perfect inspiration for their works. They were als ...
. After returning home, Schnirch was approached by Zítek to provide decorations for the new National Theatre, that was under construction. He created statues of
Apollo Apollo is one of the Twelve Olympians, Olympian deities in Ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek and Ancient Roman religion, Roman religion and Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, mu ...
and the Nine Muses for the columns above the main entrance. Some of his bronze figures, on the corner pylons, were destroyed during the fire that engulfed parts of the theatre shortly after its opening in 1881. He also provided decorations for the
Rudolfinum The Rudolfinum is a building in Prague, Czech Republic. It is designed in the neo-Renaissance style and is situated on Jan Palach Square on the bank of the river Vltava. Since its opening in 1885, it has been associated with music and art. C ...
; another building designed by Zítek. The
Neo-Renaissance Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th-century Revivalism (architecture), architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival architecture, Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival ar ...
design for the
National Museum A national museum can be a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In the United States, most nati ...
, by
Josef Schulz Josef Schulz (1909/1910 – 20 July 1941), also spelled Joseph Schultz, was a German soldier of the 714th Infantry Division stationed in German-occupied Serbia during World War II. He died in 1941, allegedly executed after refusing to take par ...
, gave Schnirch an opportunity to compete in a contest, to select a sculptor for decorative work. He won the competition, over Antonín Pavel Wagner and Antonín Popp, and created four allegorical groups for the main dome, representing "Dedication", "Enthusiasm", "Love for the Truth" and "Love for the Past". He entered another competition in 1894, to design a monument for St. Wenceslaus but, despite very positive reviews for his entry, he was passed over in favor of
Josef Václav Myslbek Josef Václav Myslbek (20 June 1848 – 2 June 1922) was a Czech sculptor and medalist credited with founding the modern Czech sculpting style.Stech, V. V. Josef Vaclav Myslbek, Prague, 1954. Artia. Life Josef grew up poor in a suburb of Prague ...
. His largest and most familiar work, an equestrian monument to
George of Poděbrady George of Kunštát and Poděbrady (23 April 1420 – 22 March 1471), also known as Poděbrad or Podiebrad (; ), was the sixteenth King of Bohemia, who ruled in 1458–1471. He was a leader of the Hussites, but moderate and tolerant toward the ...
, was completed in 1891, depicting the moment when George is reaching out to shake the hand of
Matthias Corvinus Matthias Corvinus (; ; ; ; ; ) was King of Hungary and King of Croatia, Croatia from 1458 to 1490, as Matthias I. He is often given the epithet "the Just". After conducting several military campaigns, he was elected King of Bohemia in 1469 and ...
. The figure is twice life size and constructed of copper plates. His final major commission involved figures for the on
Old Town Square Old Town Square ( or colloquially , ) is a historic square in the Old Town quarter of Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. It is located between Wenceslas Square and Charles Bridge. Buildings The square features buildings belonging t ...
. One, a firefighter rescuing a victim, was the last work he completed before his death. The other, "A Call to Alarm", was completed by one of his students, Ladislav Šaloun. The in the
Vinohrady Vinohrady (until 1960 Královské Vinohrady, in English literally "Royal Vineyards" ) is a cadastral district in Prague. It is so named because the area was once covered in vineyards dating from the 14th century. Vinohrady lies in the municipal ...
district, has been declared a
cultural monument A national heritage site is a heritage site having a value that has been registered by a governmental agency as being of national importance to the cultural heritage or history of that country. Usually such sites are listed in a heritage registe ...
. It was built in 1875, from a design by Antonín Wiehl, with
frieze In classical architecture, the frieze is the wide central section of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic order, Ionic or Corinthian order, Corinthian orders, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Patera (architecture), Paterae are also ...
s by Schnirch.


Selected works

Pomník krále Jiřího 1.jpg, Prazska mestska pojistovna 2.JPG, The Firefighter Vinohrady, Mikovcova 5, sgrafito 3.jpg, Section of the
frieze In classical architecture, the frieze is the wide central section of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic order, Ionic or Corinthian order, Corinthian orders, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Patera (architecture), Paterae are also ...
on the Schnirch House ND sochy 1.jpg, Apollo and the Muses Bohuslav Schnirch, Obětavost, Národní muzeum v Praze.jpg, "Dedication",
National Museum


References

* Wittlich, Petr
"Schnirch, Bohuslav."
In Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online, (accessed January 23, 2012; subscription required). {{DEFAULTSORT:Schnirch, Bohuslav Artists from Prague Sculptors from Austria-Hungary Czech male sculptors 1845 births 1901 deaths Czech architectural sculptors