Ríkarður Jónsson (20 September 1888 – 17 January 1977) was an

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

ic sculptor.

Early training

Ríkarður was born in the Icelandic east coast village of

Djúpivogur Djúpivogur () is a small town and former municipality (Djúpavogshreppur ) located on a peninsula in the Eastern Region (Iceland), Austurland region in eastern Iceland, near the island of Papey and on the fjord Berufjörður. The municipality was ...

. His mother was Ólöf Finnsdóttir and his father was Jón Þórarinsson. His early training was as a wood carver. From 1911 until 1914 he studied sculpture with Einar Jónsson, the Icelandic sculptor who had recently returned to Iceland from his studies in Europe. Following the completion of these studies

Ásmundur Sveinsson Ásmundur Sveinsson (20 May 1893 – 9 December 1982) was an Icelandic sculptor, whose works include “ Thor's gavel”, the ornate gavel used by the President of United Nations General Assembly. Early years Ásmundur Sveinsson was born in Kol ...

apprenticed with Ríkarður from 1915 to 1919.

The Seal of Iceland

In 1918 a competition that attracted many of the Icelandic artists of the day was held to create a new coat of arms for Iceland. The design was to be based on the writings of

Snorri Sturluson Snorri Sturluson ( ; ; 1179 – 22 September 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was elected twice as lawspeaker of the Icelandic parliament, the Althing. He is commonly thought to have authored or compiled portions of th ...

Heimskringla () is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland. While authorship of ''Heimskringla'' is nowhere attributed, some scholars assume it is written by the Icelandic poet and historian Snorri Sturluson (117 ...

. The competition was won by Ríkarður and his composition was to remain the Icelandic coat of arms until being redesigned by Tryggvi Magnusson following Icelandic independence from

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

in 1944. Although the four figures in the design remained the same, they are proportioned differently in the new design. The main difference, however, between the 1918 and 1944 conception is one of content: the removal of the crown of the King of Denmark that sat on top of Ríkarður Jónsson's design.

Career

Many of the works produced by Ríkarður during his career were woodcarvings. However he was also one of Iceland's primary portraitists during that time, creating numerous busts and bas-reliefs of his fellow countrymen and women. Many of these works can be found in the graveyards of Iceland, particularly in

Reykjavík Reykjavík is the Capital city, capital and largest city in Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland on the southern shore of Faxaflói, the Faxaflói Bay. With a latitude of 64°08′ N, the city is List of northernmost items, the worl ...

's Hólavallagarður Cemetery. One of his best known works is a bas-relief of Sigríður Tómasdóttir, the heroine of

Gullfoss Gullfoss ("Golden Falls"; ) is a waterfall located in the canyon of the Hvítá, Árnessýsla, Hvítá river in southwest Iceland. It is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the country, and is included in "Golden Circle (Iceland), Gol ...

. In 1955 Ríkarður carved the Icelandic birch

gavel A gavel is a small ceremonial mallet/hammer commonly made of hardwood, typically fashioned with a handle. It can be used to call for attention or to punctuate rulings and proclamations and is a symbol of the authority and right to act officially ...

and striking board used at the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

.Baal-Teshuva, Jacob, Art Treasures of the United Nations, Thomas Yoseloff, New York, 1964 p.71 and Plate 34

Ríkarður Jónsson Museum

Langa-Búð, the oldest house (built in 1790) in Djúpivogur, the village Ríkarður was born in, has been converted into a cultural center and it includes a section devoted to Ríkarður's life and work.

Public monuments in Reykjavík

*Tryggvi Gunnarsson, (1835–1917), 1917 *Bishop Jon Vidalin, (1666–1720), 1920 *Memorial to

Jean-Baptiste Charcot Jean-Baptiste Étienne Auguste Charcot, better known in France as Commandant Charcot, (15 July 1867 in Neuilly-sur-Seine near Paris – 16 September 1936 at sea (30 miles north-west of Reykjavik, Iceland), was a French scientist, medical doctor ...

, (1867–1936), 1952 *

Þorsteinn Erlingsson Þorsteinn Erlingsson (1858–1914) was an Icelandic poet. He graduated from Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík in 1883 and went to Copenhagen to study law. He never finished law school but during his time in Copenhagen his poems became known in Icelan ...

, (1858–1914) * numerous monuments in Hólavallagarður Cemetery

References

1888 births 1977 deaths Ríkardur Jónsson Ríkardur Jónsson 20th-century Icelandic sculptors {{Iceland-sculptor-stub