Archduke Ferdinand Carl of Tirol thumbnail 1
Archduke Ferdinand Carl of Tirol thumbnail 2
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Sculpture, Room 117

Archduke Ferdinand Carl of Tirol

Statuette
ca. 1648 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This is one of a group of equestrian bronze statuettes of Habsburgs produced by Caspar Gras in about 1648. Until 1933, this version was in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, along with five others which remain in that collection. They belong to a type which originated among Giambologna's followers in Florence, particularly Pietro Tacca, who pursued an interest in the rearing horse in his equestrian statue of Archduke Leopold V of about 1630.
The rider, head, baton and sword are cast separately, following the practice first identified in Tacca's workshop to enable the horses and riders to be interchangeable.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleArchduke Ferdinand Carl of Tirol (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Bronze
Brief description
Statuette, bronze, the Archduke Ferdinand Karl of Tyrol, by Caspar Gras (1568-1674), Austrian (Innsbruck), about 1648
Physical description
The Archduke is shown on horseback dressed in full armour carrying a baton and sword.
Dimensions
  • Bronze group only height: 35.2cm
Credit line
Purchased by the John Webb Trust
Object history
Bought from Alfred Spero, Esq., for £194 (Webb Trust), in 1960.
Subjects depicted
Summary
This is one of a group of equestrian bronze statuettes of Habsburgs produced by Caspar Gras in about 1648. Until 1933, this version was in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, along with five others which remain in that collection. They belong to a type which originated among Giambologna's followers in Florence, particularly Pietro Tacca, who pursued an interest in the rearing horse in his equestrian statue of Archduke Leopold V of about 1630.
The rider, head, baton and sword are cast separately, following the practice first identified in Tacca's workshop to enable the horses and riders to be interchangeable.
Bibliographic reference
Avery, Charles. 'Hubert le Sueur's Portraits of Charles I in Bronze, at Stourhead, Ickworth, and elsewhere', (National Trust Studies, 1979, pp. 128-147), reprinted in Studies in European Sculpture I, London, 1981, p. 202
Collection
Accession number
A.16-1960

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Record createdJanuary 15, 2004
Record URL
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