Tüskés, Anna

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324G R A D I V OAnna Tüskés, BudapestVenetIAn Well-HeAD In BleD	Venetian	well-heads	became	increasingly	popular	in	the	se-cond	half	of	the	nineteenth	century.1	There	was	great	demand	for	well-heads	 among	European	 and	 overseas	museums,	 the	 aristocracy,	 and	private	collectors.2	During	this	period,	as	the	supply	of	original	pieces	decreased,	more	and	more	copies	and	imitations	appeared.	As	in	most	other	European	countries,	 there	was	also	aristocratic	 interest	 in	and	demand	for	well-heads	in	Austria-Hungary.There	is	a	variety	of	forms	among	the	Romanesque	copies	and	 imitations,	 and	 Venetian	motifs	 are	 often	mixed	 with	 other	 ele-ments,	mostly	 inspired	by	pattern	books.3	As	the	result	of	 these	com-binations,	the	pieces	vary	considerably	in	forms	and	motifs.	The	use	of	pattern	books	containing	unrelated	groups	of	motifs	led	to	the	creation	of	carvings	that	are	distinct	from	original	pieces	both	in	terms	of	form	and	decorative	system.	Copies	and	imitations	are	identifiable	by	taking	into	account	three	aspects:	1)	the	material	the	piece	is	made	from;	2)	the	1		Anna	Tüskés,	Venetian	well-heads	in	nineteenth-century	taste,	Sculpture Journal,	XIX/1,	2010,	pp.	49−61;	eadem, The	Well-Heads	of	the	Schmidt	Company,	Omnis creatura significans. Essays in Honour of Mária Prokopp (ed.	by	Anna	Tüskés),	Budapest	2009,	pp.	291−296.2	 	For	a	bibliography	on	Venetian	well-heads	see	Alberto Rizzi,	Vere da pozzo di Venezia. I puteali pubblici di Venezia e della sua laguna,	Venezia	1981,	19922,	20073.3		E.	g.	Giuseppe	anTonelli,	Collezione de’ migliori ornamenti antichi della città di Venezia. Coll’aggiunta di alcuni frammenti di gotica architettura,	Genova	1843;	Carlo	HeidelHoff	−	Lorenzo	i’Rbani,	Raccolta De’ Migliori Ornamenti Del Medio Evo E Profili Di Architettura Bizantina Disegnati,	Venise	 1859;	 Gustav HeideR − Rudolf	 von eiTelbeRgeR − Josef HieseR,	Mittelalterliche Kunstdenkmale des Österreichischen Kaiserstaates II.	Stutt-gart	1860,	pp.	174−176;	Jules	gailHabaud,	L’architecture du Vme au XVIIme siècle et les arts qui en dépendent,	3,	Paris	1870,	tabb.	LIV−LVII;	Ferdinan-do	ongania,	Raccolta di opere antiche sui disegni dei merletti di Venezia,	Ve-nise	1878;	Eugene	CollinoT	−	Adalbert	de	beaumonT,	Ornements vénitiens. Recueil dessins pour l’art et l’industrie,	Paris	1882,	tabb.	3,	15−16;	Charles	eRRaRd	−	Albert	gayeT,	L’art byzantin d’après les monuments de l’Italie, de l’Istrie et de la Dalmatie, Vol. 4. Torcello,	 Paris	 1911,	 p.	 24;	 Georg	kowalCzyk,	Dekorative Skulptur. Figur, Ornament, Architekturplastik aus den Hauptepochen der Kunst,	Berlin	1910.325G R A D I V Osimilarity	or	dissimilarity	of	shapes	and	motifs	to	those	of	early	medieval	and	Romanesque	works;	 and	3)	 the	 stonecutting	 technique,	which	 is	closely	related	to	its	style.	Even	if	the	motifs	had	held	particular	mean-ings	in	the	Middle	Ages,	nineteenth-century	stonemasons	were	certainly	unaware	of	this,	and	this	is	part	of	the	reason	that	certain	motifs	were	slightly	 transformed.	 Sculptors	 used	 existing	 forms	 and	 compositions	as	models,	but	they	also	invented	new	ones.	Examination	of	the	motifs	also	shows	that	nineteenth-century	carvings	often	contain	a	significant	number	of	modern	motifs	in	addition	to	medieval	elements.Nineteenth-century	 motifs	 originate	 from	 earlier	 pieces;	most	of	them	also	appear	in	medieval	carvings.	However,	certain	motifs	are	either	unknown	or	do	not	occur	in	early	medieval	and	Romanesque	Venetian	 ornamental	 sculpture.	 The	 nineteenth-century	 masters	 also	used	motifs	 other	 than	 Venetian	 ones	 from	 other	 areas	 and	 periods,	taken	from	contemporary	pattern	books.	Motifs	of	different	eras	appear	together	in	many	nineteenth-century	works.	The	nineteenth-century	ori-gin	of	a	number	of	well-heads	is	also	indicated	by	their	style	and	stone-cutting	technique,	in	addition	to	the	characteristics	of	the	motifs	used.There	is	a	well-head	of	white	Istrian	stone	in	the	park	near	Lake	Bled	(Figs.	1−4),	which	was	designed	by	Swedish	landscape	gar-dener	 Carl	 Gustav	 Swensson	 (1861−1910)	 in	 Bled	 (Germ.	Veldes)	 in	1890.	The	well-head,	which	can	be	counted	as	part	of	the	nineteenth-century	 art	 trade,	has	not	been	previously	published.4	While	 its	pro-venance	is	unknown,	the	style	of	the	relief	carving	is	sufficiently	spe-cific	to	conclude	that	it	derives	from	Venice	and	it	was	in	all	probability	placed	on	the	art	market	before	1890.Before	examining	it	in	more	detail,	a	word	should	be	said	about	 Carl	 Gustav	 Swensson.	 He	 received	 his	 primary	 education	 in	arti	stic	gardening	from	his	father,	the	garden	designer	Anders	Gustaf	Swen	sson	 (1833−1911).	He	 studied	 landscaping	 in	 Sweden	 and	Ger-many.	He	 designed	many	 private	 gardens	 and	 parks	 in	 Sweden	 and	abroad.	He	completed	his	first	assignments	in	Würzburg	and	Zurich.	Starting	in	1887	he	oversaw	park	layouts	in	Vienna,	where	he	ranked	4		I	would	like	to	express	my	sincere	gratitude	to	Guido	Tigler	and	Matej	KlemenËiË,	who	 called	my	 attention	 to	 the	Bled	well-head	 and	 offered	their	invaluable	advice.326G R A D I V O1.	 Venetian	 well-head	 in	 the	 park	 near	Lake	Bled,	Bled.	2.	 Venetian	 well-head	 in	 the	 park	 near	Lake	Bled,	Bled.	3.	 Venetian	 well-head	 in	 the	 park	 near	Lake	Bled,	Bled.	4.	 Venetian	 well-head	 in	 the	 park	 near	Lake	Bled,	Bled.	among	the	most	sought-after	experts.	In	addition	to	the	park	in	Bled	he	also	contributed	to	garden	design	at	another	spa,	namely	Marienbad	(Cz.	Mariánské Lázneˇ ),	between	1901	and	1904.55		Michael	sCHwaHn,	The	Greenhouse	of	the	Palace	Okocim	near	Brzesko	(Der	Wintergarten	im	Schloss	Okocim	bei	Brzesko),	Modus, Prace z Histo-rii Sztuki (Modus, Studies on Arts History),	VIII−IX,	2009,	pp.	193−197;	Videm, Die Gartenarchitekten Jöns P. Lindahl (1843−1887) und Carl Gu-stav Swensson (1861−1910) − Leben und Werk, unter besonderer Berücksi-chtigung gestalterischer Prinzipien	 (Dissertation,	Technische	Universität	München,	Lehrstuhl	Landschaftsarchitektur	und	Entwerfen).327G R A D I V OThe	well-head	is	 in	good	condition.	It	 takes	the	form	of	a	cylindrical	drum,	slightly	tapered	towards	the	bottom,	and	surmounted	by	a	quadrangular	upper	element.	This	structure	is	a	simplified	form	of	the	“Gothic”	(fourteenth	to	fifteenth	centuries)	and	“Lombardesque”	(fifteenth	 to	 sixteenth	centuries)	well-heads,	 similar	 to	capitals	of	 co-lumns.	While	 the	“Gothic”	 form	has	 suspended	arches	on	each	 side	and	 the	 “Lombardesque”	 acanthus	 leaves	 on	 each	 corner,	 the	 Bled	piece	 lacks	 these	 characteristic	 elements.	 A	 nineteenth-century	well-head	 of	 pink	Verona	marble,	 now	 in	 the	Budapest	Museum	of	 Fine	Arts,	has	a	very	similar	structure;6	this	carving,	bought	in	Venice	by	the	6	 	 Inv.	 no.	 588.56.	Height	 66−69	 cm,	 each	 side	 of	 top	 82	 cm.	 Cf.	 Le	Musée	des	Beaux-Arts	en	1963,	Bulletin du Musée National Hongrois des Beaux-Arts,	XXV,	1964,	pp.	114,	178;	Jolán balogH,	Studi	sulla	collezione	di	sculture	del	Museo	di	Belle	Arti	di	Budapest.	VI.,	Acta Historia Artium Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae,	XII,	1966, pp. 218−229,	272;	eadem,	Die ständige Austellung der Abteilung für Skulptur. Katalog in ungarischer und deutscher Sprache. Museum der Bildende Künste,	Budapest	1966, p. 7; eadem,	Katalog der ausländischen Bildwerke des Museums der Bildenden Künste in Budapest IV.−XVIII. Jahrhundert.	I−II,	Budapest	1975, p. 32, No.	5,	Fig.	6;	Gino VolTolina,	Le antiche vere da pozzo veneziane,	Venezia	1981,	fig.	24;	Rizzi	19922,	cit.	n.	2,	p.	55.5.	 Venetian	 well-head	 in	 the	 Sárospa-tak	castle	park.	Photograph	taken	before	1963.6.	Venetian	well-head,	Budapest	Museum	of	Fine	Arts.	328G R A D I V OWindischgrätz	princes	and	transported	to	the	castle	park	of	their	castle	in	Sárospatak	(Hungary)	in	the	second	half	of	the	nineteenth	century,	arrived	in	the	Museum	in	1963	(Figs.	5−6).7Its	 relief	decoration	consists	of	a	 rank	of	acanthus	 scrolls	inhabited	by	birds	and	quadrupeds.	This	plant	is	surmounted	by	a	dif-ferent	 band	 of	 patterning	 on	 each	 side:	 a	 leaf	 scroll,	 a	 two-stranded	twisted	band	with	four-petal	rosettes	in	the	intervals,	four-petal	rosettes	in	circles,	and	a	row	of	rhombs	with	a	round	button	in	the	lattice.	Be-low	this	is	a	sequence	of	half	palmettes.	Many	of	these	motifs	have	a	long	history,	some	going	back	to	the	twelfth	and	thirteenth	centuries.	However,	the	main	decorative	concept	of	the	Bled	piece	has	no	medi-eval	parallel.	Its	decorative	scheme	is	close	to	the	Budapest	well-head	mentioned	above:	a	three-stranded	band	with	stylised	acanthus	leaves,	flowers,	birds,	and	quadrupeds	in	the	intervals.	The	quadrangular	up-per	element	is	decorated	with	a	three-stranded	band.7		Anna	Tüskés,	A velencei díszíto˝  ko˝faragás kérdései a koraközépkori és románkori kútkávák tükrében. Questions of Venetian Ornamental Sculp-ture in the Light of the Early Medieval and Romanesque Well-Heads,	Bu-dapest	 2009	 (PhD	Dissertation,	Eötvös	Loránd	University,	 Faculty	 of	Arts,	Doctoral	School	of	Art	History),	cat.	71.7.1.	Bird,	detail	of	the	Bled	well-head7.2.	 Bird,	 detail	 of	 the	 Budapest	 well-head329G R A D I V OProceeding	 to	 the	 analysis	 of	 the	 style	 and	 stonecutting	technique,	it	is	apparent	that	the	Bled	and	the	Budapest	pieces	show	a	very	comparable	range	of	decoration.	Comparison	of	the	birds	and	quadrupeds	shows	clearly	that	the	two	well-heads	were	probably	carved	in	the	same	Venetian	workshop	in	the	third	quarter	of	the	nineteenth	century	(Fig.	7).	The	form,	decoration,	and	stylistic	details	clearly	prove	the	nineteenth-century	origin	of	the	Bled	well-head.To	 conclude,	 this	paper	not	 only	 contributes	one	more	 ex-ample	to	the	stock	of	Venetian	well-heads	studied	and	published,	it	also	indicates	another	feature	concerning	the	genre:	the	inherited	traditional	forms	and	motifs	transformed	in	the	course	of	the	nineteenth	century,	when	the	cult	of	Venice	and	the	high	demand	for	art	resulted	in	a	tenden-cy	to	carve	new	pieces	based	on	the	surviving	original	medieval	models.Photo:	Matej	KlemenËiË	(Figg.	1,	2,	3,	4,	7.1),	Hungarian	National	Office	of	Cultural		Heritage	(Fig.	5),	Anna	Tüskés	(Figg.	6,	7.2)UKD	73(450+497.4)"18"izvirni	znanstveni	Ëlanek	-	original	scientific	paperBeneškI VODnjAk (VeRA DA pOzzO) nA BleDuPovzetekV	parku	ob	blejskem	jezeru	stoji	še	neobjavljena	krona	beneškega	vod-njaka	(vera	da	pozzo)	iz	belega	istrskega	kamna.	Park	je	naËrtoval	švedski	krajinski	arhitekt	Carl	Gustav	Swensson	(1861−1910)	leta	1890,	vodnjak	pa	lahko	uvrstimo	med	številne	sorodne	primerke,	ki	so	nastali	za	potrebe	umetnostnega	trga	v	19.	stoletju.	Provenienca	vodnjaka	je	sicer	neznana,	a	po	slogu	reliefa	lahko	sklepamo,	da	je	prišel	iz	Benetk	in	da	je	bil	na	umetnostnem	trgu	pred	letom	1890.CilindriËno	oblikovani	vodnjak,	nekoliko	zožan	spodaj	in	kronan	s	kvadratnim	elementom,	spominja	na	obliko	kapitela.	Reliefno	dekoracijo	ses-tavlja	 akantovo	 listovje	 s	 ptiËi	 in	 štirinoænimi	 æivalmi.	Podobno	 strukturo	 in	dekoracijo	ima	tudi	19.	stoletni	vodnjak	iz	roænatega	veronskega	marmorja,	ki	ga	hrani	budimpeštanski	Umetnostni	muzej;	zanj	vemo,	da	so	ga	Ëlani	druæine	Windischgrätz	kupili	v	Benetkah	in	v	drugi	polovici	19.	stoletja	postavili	v	parku	svojega	gradu	v	Sárospataku,	v	muzej	pa	je	prišel	leta	1963.	1−4.	Beneški	vodnjak	v	parku	ob	Blejskem	jezeru,	Bled	(foto	Matej	KlemenËiË,	2009).	 5.		Beneški	vodnjak	v	grajskem	parku	Sárospatak	(Madæarski	nacionalni	urad	za	kulturno	dedišËino,	foto	arhiv).	 6.	Beneški	vodnjak,	Budimpešta,	Szépmu˝vészeti	Múzeum	(foto	Anna	Tüskés,	2005)	7.1.	PtiË,	detalj	z	blejskega	vodnjaka	7.2.	PtiË,	detalj	z	blejskega	vodnjaka

Venetian Well-Head in Bled

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