Richard Kissling (15 April 1848 – 19 July 1919) was a Swiss
sculptor
Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
and
medallist.
Biography
Born in
Wolfwil, Switzerland, Kissling went through apprenticeship as a plasterer before moving to Rome for 13 years, studying under the sculptor
Ferdinand Schlöth. At the 1883 National Exhibition in Zurich, Kissling showed a portrait bust of the Swiss politician
Alfred Escher. As a result, he was given the 1889 commission for
Escher's statue in bronze and granite, in front of the Arch at
Zürich Hauptbahnhof
Zürich Hauptbahnhof, often shortened to Zürich HB or just HB, and known in English as Zurich Main Station, is the largest railway station in Switzerland and one of the busiest in Europe. It is a major railway hub, with services to and from a ...
.
Kissling became one of the most widely employed Swiss sculptors for monuments and memorials, although his heroic classical style was increasingly regarded as outdated towards the end of his career.
His other works include:
* The William
Tell Monument in
Altdorf, the result of an 1892 national competition and probably Kissling's best-known work. It was inaugurated on 28 August 1895.
* ''Jünglingsfigur'',
Villa Tobler in Zürich,
* statue of
Joachim Vadian in
St. Gallen, 1904,
*
Rizal Monument in
Rizal Park
Rizal Park (), also known as Luneta Park or simply Luneta, is a historic urban park located in Ermita, Manila. It is considered one of the largest urban parks in the Philippines, covering an area of . The site on where the park is situated was ...
,
Manila
Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...
, 1912. A national monument, erected on the park where the Philippine
national hero was executed.
Selected works
Rizal Monument.jpg, Rizal Monument, Manila
Telldenkmal.jpg, William Tell
William Tell (, ; ; ; ) is a legendary folk hero of Switzerland. He is known for shooting an apple off his son's head.
According to the legend, Tell was an expert mountain climber and marksman with a crossbow who assassinated Albrecht Gessler, ...
Monument, Altdorf
Villa Tobler 2011-08-14 19-00-50 ShiftN.jpg, ''Jünglingsfigur'', Villa Tobler in Zürich
Zürich 1893 Cantonal Shooting Festival Silver Medal, obverse.jpg, Zürich 1893 Cantonal Shooting Festival Silver Medal, obverse. It shows the design of Kissling's William Tell Monument in Altdorf.
Zürich 1893 Cantonal Shooting Festival Silver Medal, reverse.jpg, Kissling's Zürich 1893 Cantonal Shooting Festival Silver Medal, reverse
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kissling, Richard
1848 births
1919 deaths
19th-century Swiss sculptors
20th-century Swiss sculptors
Medallists