Wilhelm Wandschneider, Der Sieger

Back

				Price:

Description

‘Der Sieger’ (‘The Victor’)
Biography: Wilhelm Wandschneider

Bronze, created 1907, height 60 cm.
Cast by ‘H. NOACK FRIEDENAU BERLIN’.
Gold plated bronze ‘Siegeskranz’ (laurel wreath).

First Price of the ‘Sedanwettkämpfen 1907’, awarded by the Duke of Mecklenburg to the best sportsman.
Smaller version of the statue ‘Der Sieger’ by Wandschneider, awarded a Gold Medal at the ‘Grosse Berliner Kunstausstellung’ in 1906 and bought by Kaiser Wilhelm II who donated it to the city of Berlin.

The texts at the base reads:
– W. Wandschneider
– am 1. September 1907
– dem ersten Sieger
– bei dem Sedanwettkämpfen
– Johann Albrecht Herzog zu Mecklenburg, Regent des Herzogtums Braunschweig

Johann Albrecht Herzog zu Mecklenburg, Regent des Herzogtums Braunschweig
Duke John Albert of Mecklenburg (1857 – 1920) was a member of the House of Mecklenburg-Schwerin who served as the regent of two states of the German Empire. Firstly from 1897 to 1901 he was regent of Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin for his nephew Frederick Francis IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg, and from 1907 to 1913 he was Regent of the Duchy of Brunswick.
The sculptor Constantin Starck, friend of Wandschneider, introduced him in 1899 to Johann Albrecht, who would become an important sponsor of the artist.

‘Sedan-Wettkämpfe’ (‘Sedan Sportcompetitions’)
From 1875 onwards the ‘Sedan Sportcompetitions’ were organised in the city of Brauschweig. The massive competitions were held in honor of the Battle of Sedan (fought from 1 to 2 September 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War; the coalition of German states led by Prussia defeated France which marked the end of French hegemony in continental Europe and resulted in the creation of a unified Germany). The celebration of the Battle of Sedan in fact served as a National Day, until the Weimar Republic.
The Sedan Sportcompetions were massive in scale: often more than 20.000 supporters visited the sports festival. The focus of the competition was on the ‘Vierkampf’: High Jump, Long Jump, Stone Put and Running. From 1907 onwards, Patron of the sportcompetition was Johann Albrecht Herzog zu Mecklenburg, Regent des Herzogtums Braunschweig.

‘Der Sieger’, bronze, life-size. Created in 1906. Awarded a Gold Medal at the ‘Grosse Berliner Kunstausstellung’, 1906. Bought by Kaiser Wilhelm II who donated the sculpture to the city of Berlin. From 1907 to 1942 ‘Der Sieger’ stood at a small island in Tiergarten, Berlin (‘Neue Blumeninsel’, north of der Straße des 17. Juni). In 1942 it was melted down for ammunition. In 2001 the ‘Von-Hinckeldey-Stiftung” commisioned the foundry Lauchhammer to create a new cast after a preserved model in Plau am See. The new ‘Sieger’ is again located on a raft in the Tiergarten.
Left: ’Der Sieger’ by Wandschneider located in Tiergarten, Berlin.
Right: ‘Der Sieger’ by Wandschneider located in Plau am See.
  

‘Der Sieger’ depicted on a postcard.

============================================ § ============================================