Perseus as Alter Ego of Ferdinand I

• Authors: Bažant Jan
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

The paper analyses three relief sculptures that decorate spandrels of the northern façade of the Prague Belvedere, which was built by Ferdinand I between 1538 and ca. 1550. Their uniqueness consists in that it is the first series inspired by the myth of Perseus in Renaissance architectural sculpture. We find here, from left to right: Perseus freeing Andromeda, Perseus turning Atlas into a rock by showing him the head of Medusa, and Pegasus creating a source of poetical inspiration. The monogram, FA (Ferdinand I and Anna, his wife) is the only inscription on this villa and it has a crucial role in the villa decoration. We may consider Perseus as alter ego of Ferdinand I.

Keywords

EN

Ferdinand I; Perseus; Andromeda; Renaissance art; relief sculpture; allegory

Discipline

• ARTS_&_ARCHITECTURE: ARTS & ARCHITECTURE

• Publisher: Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Arts, Czech Republic
• Journal: Studia Hercynia
• Year: 2016
• Volume: 20
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 127-150

Contributors

author

Bažant Jan

• The Centre for Classical Studies Institute of Philosophy Czech Academy of Sciences Na Florenci 3, CZ-11000 Prague 1