Leopold V, Erzherzog

It is a little-known fact that the Austrian sculptor Caspar Gras had already created a rearing equestrian in 1630 without using the tail of the horse as a support point. The statue depicts Archduke Leopold V and stands on top of the Leopoldsbrunnen fountain in Innsbruck, Austria. The equestrian monument is of a prancing horse on its hind legs.The balance of the statue was achieved by filling the tail of the horse with lead. In this way, Gras had already accomplished what famous sculptors such as Fernkorn, Tacca and Clodt would achieve decades later. The reason that this statue does not have the fame it deserves may be the fact that it lacks the more monumental size of those that would follow.

At the time that I was in Innsbruck (2015) the statue was being restored. For this reason  I could not take pictures of the statue myself. The statue has been re-installed in november 2019. See the picture.

Pictures of statuette in Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna.

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