Equestrian Statue of Frederick the Great (Berlin)

 monument, listed building / architectural heritage, 1850s construction, equestrian statue

The Equestrian Statue of Frederick the Great is executed in bronze. The statue shows the King in contemporary dress with a regal cloak and two-cornered hat.

On the three-tier pedestal there are inscriptions at that level, and fully developed equestrian statues at the corners of the middle level representing Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick, Prince Henry, Ziethen and Seydlitz. The main figures are accompanied by 21 male statues depicting the most outstanding generals in Frederick's army and other leading personalities. Six other equestrian figures appear in the reliefs. At the corners of the upper level are the female allegories of ruler virtues, while the rather genre-like reliefs illustrate the life and merits of Frederick.

When the monument was unveiled in 1851, it had been 70 years in the planning, involving around 40 artists and around 100 designs. Christian Daniel Rauch had been working on this equestrian statue for more than 20 years by the time it was unveiled on May 31, 1851 in Unter den Linden in Berlin. Rauch's execution had been preceded by numerous draft designs, mostly by Schadow, who had worked at this commission virtually all his life.

www.aviewoncities.com/berlin/reiterdenkmal.htm
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Daniel_Rauch
en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannic...