Zprávy památkové péče 2016, 76(2):206-213

An unexpected meeting with the Baroque in the works of Bohuslav Schnirch

Kateřina Adamcová

Last year saw the completion of the reconstruction of the Havlíček Orchards (Havlíčkové sady) in Prague which also included the restoration and replication of a central statue known as "Neptune's Grotto" by Bohuslav Schnirch from the 1870s. The article summarizes the lessons learned during the restoration and attempts to present a detailed evaluation of the work and consider its basis from the of personality of the sculptor Schnirch.
The overall concept of Neptune's grotto in literature is rightly associated with the late Italian Renaissance and with mannerist gardens such as the Boboli Garden complex in Florence, the Bomarzo Garden near Viterbo, and the Villa d'Este in Tivoli, near Rome. Likewise, the work of Bohuslav Schnirch has always been considered to be largely inspired by the artists of the high and late Renaissance - Raphael, Michelangelo, and Sansovino. The statue in the Havlíček Orchards, however, reveals another source of inspiration which usually is not associated with Schnirch's work. The Prague statue of Neptune holds its immediate inspiration in the work of the famous Roman Baroque sculptor Gianlorenzo Berinini. A striking similarity in the modeling of the figure, the work with shape exaggeration, and the overall expression can be seen, for example, in the Fountain "del Tritone" in Rome's Piazza Barberini - this statue, among others, demonstrates that the theme of Schnirch's work is not Neptune, but Triton, Neptune's subordinate deity. This is testified both by the legs in the form of tentacles as well as the service function of the "carriers" that are not associated with Neptune as the master of the seas. Bernini's influence on this work by Schnirch is also evident from a comparison with other major parts of the Roman sculptor (the prophet Daniel in the Chigi chapel in the church of Santa Maria del Popolo, Triton from the Fountain del Moro on the Piazza Navona, etc.) including the non-figural elements (rock on the fountain of the four rivers on the Piazza Navona).
This comparison demonstrates three key facts. One, that during his documented visit to Italy, Schnirch intensively perceived not only the Renaissance classics, but also the great works of Baroque artists which left a strong inspiration on him. Secondly, the tradition held since the early 20th century, which evaluates Schnirch as a skilled, but "dry" and "bloodless" academic who lacked the vibrancy and modeling capabilities of J. V. Myslbek, does not apply. The Vinohrady Neptune proves that Schnirch was able to compose a comparatively full-blooded, dramatic, and imaginative modelled figures - in short, that he was simply an excellent sculptor. Finally, this statue, created between 1873-1875, is an interesting example for the history of the reception of the Baroque. Here, Schnirch the sculptor leads a lively dialogue with the Baroque age, i.e. an artistic style that would be rehabilitated by professional historiography after nearly half a century. Like, for example, the neo-Baroque projects of F. Ohmann, Schnirch's figure of Neptune/Triton is an interesting example of a case in which immediate artistic intuition was able to precede a rational professional reflection of art historians.

Keywords: Havlíček Orchards in Prague; Bohuslav Schnirch; sculptures of the 19th century; neo-Baroque; Gianlorenzo Berinini

Published: June 1, 2016  Show citation