Bronze God of Giambologna: Mars remains in Saxony

were on Wednesday evening in the Freiberg Museum of mining-Saxon mountaineers in their traditional headdress in front of the display case with the shimmering bronze God Mars, was the Scenery like a subsequent adoration of the Magi.

Stefan Trinks

editor in the features section.

F. A. Z.

Freiberg, is the first stop of a Tour of the Statue Giambologna’s through Saxony, which operates under the title of “A God traveling”. The precious bronze figure of a Renaissance sculptor who could be saved from the impending sale abroad, will be shown to the re-opening of the Semper gallery in December in a total of three-Saxon museums.

the State of art celebrate the Dresden collections the successful rescue of the valuable national heritage. Because of the so-called “Dresdner Mars” is a Saxony back to the place of his Creator Giambologna, in addition to Donatello and Michelangelo, probably the most significant sculptors of the Renaissance, over four hundred years ago.

the Personal gift of the ruler

The Bayer AG, in its art collection, the Statuette was, just wanted to let the “Dresdner Mars” in the summer of 2018 at Sotheby’s in London auction. In the catalog, the nearly forty-centimeter-high sculpture was valued at three to five million pounds. After a public Protest from the arts world and politics, Bayer withdrew the auction order, at Sotheby’s in the last Minute. Also the state Minister for Culture Monika Grütters had criticized the group.

The purchase was ultimately financed by the Federal government and the free state of Saxony, the Ernst von Siemens kunststiftung, the Kulturstiftung der Länder and the circle of friends of the SKD. The price was not disclosed. Here, the first buyer of the Statuette, Theodor Plieninger, had given the “Mars” a member of the Bayer Board of management. His heritage gave him in 1988, then of Bayer AG, associated with the pad to show him to be representative.

The “Mars” was Giambologna’s personal gift to the ruler, as the Tuscan Grand Duke Francesco I. de’ Medici in 1587, the elector Christian I. of Saxony, sent three other small bronzes by the artist to the government’s commencement. The thanked for the God of war with a precious gold chain from the artist.

international cultural property

The “princely gift” thus belongs to the oldest part of the collection of the former Dresdner Kunstkammer, and of the most important Treasures of the sculpture collection. Works such as the “Sleeping Venus”, the “Flying mercury,” and Giambologna’s “Mars” was the beginning of collecting at the time, highly regarded small-plastic at the Saxon court. In 1924, the “Mars” was among the pieces with which Saxony’s rulers have resigned. The Wettiner sold him in the art trade.