Very Scarce, Grand Tour, Model of the Siegessaule Monument, Berlin, circa 1873

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Very Scarce, Grand Tour, Model of the Siegessaule Monument, Berlin, circa 1873

About the Item

Siegessaule, Berlin Painted white metal on painted wood base, 20” height. Designed in 1864 to commemorate a Prussian victory over Denmark. By 1873, when the monument was dedicated, the country counted additional defeats of Austria and France. With these, it was decided to add the 27 foot tall, gilded bronze figure of Victoria to the column’s Summit. Interestingly, this was cast by Berlin’s Gladenbeck Foundry, which also produced very highly realized models of several important German monuments. The changes didn’t stop there. Originally located in Berlin’s Konigsplatz, adjacent to the Reichstag, in 1939 Hitler directed his architect, Albert Speer, to draw plans for the relocation of the monument to the center of the Grossen Stein, a vast convergence of roads in Berlin’s Tiergarten District, in line with a new triumphal route, on axis with and running through the Brandenburg Gate. For emphasis, Der Fuhrer, insufficiently impressed with the monument’s monumentality, had Speer add a further 25 feet to the Column’s height, yielding the 220 foot tall landmark before us today. This extremely rare model of the Siegessaule was probably cast and finished in the late 19th century, perhaps near the time of the column’s dedication. The model’s high level of detail and precise elements are characteristic of German foundries in this period. Note the detailed rendering of each cannon around the shaft. Many of these sorts of small, European cast metal decorative objects were lost to the depradations of World War. After these conflicts, especially in Germany, there was little enthusiasm for preserving the models of monuments whose meanings and memories had been taken over by humanity’s darkest impulses. What was one person’s victory Column oh-so-quickly changes into another person’s memento mori. This model is in remarkably original condition.

Dimensions:
Height: 20 in (50.8 cm)Diameter: 11 in (27.94 cm)
Style:
Grand Tour (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Wood,Zinc,Cast,Painted
Place of Origin:
Germany
Period:
1870-1879
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1873
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
Lafayette, CA
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU114326056513