Ferdinand Maxmilian Brokoff ( Czech: ''Ferdinand Maxmilián Brokoff''; 12 September 1688 – 8 March 1731) was a sculptor and carver of the

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

era.

Life and career

He was born in Červený Hrádek near Jirkov,

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

, the second son of Elisabeth and Jan Brokoff. Ferdinand Brokoff's work is often compared with the work of Matthias Braun. Initially he mostly helped his father, but from 1708 he worked independently and two years later, at the age of 22, he became known for his work on several statues on Charles Bridge in Prague, including the statuary of ''St. Adalbert'', the statue of ''St. Gaetano'', the sculpture group of ''Francis Borgia'', the statues of ''St. Ignatius'' and ''Francis Xaverius'', and the sculpture group of '' Saints John of Matha, Felix of Valois and Ivan'' which depicts in its lower section a dungeon in which emaciated Christians are guarded by a dog and a figure in Turkish costume. Around 1714 Ferdinand Brokoff began working with the Austrian architect Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach and moved to Vienna (while still taking commissions from Prague) where he worked on the church of St. Charles Borromei. He was also active in Silesia ( Wrocław), but had to return to Prague soon due to progressing tuberculosis. Nevertheless, he continued to sculpt in Prague and made some significant pieces during the 1720s, such as the monumental statuary and pillar at

Hradčany Square Hradčany Square (Czech: Hradčanské náměstí) is a square near Prague Castle in Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On ...

( cs, Hradčanské náměstí) in 1726. In 1722 he was also commissioned to create 13 pieces of the

Calvary Calvary ( la, Calvariae or ) or Golgotha ( grc-gre, Γολγοθᾶ, ''Golgothâ'') was a site immediately outside Jerusalem's walls where Jesus was said to have been crucified according to the canonical Gospels. Since at least the early mediev ...

to put in the niches of the New Castle Stairway, a project that was never realized. Towards the end of his life, the illness gradually prevented him from working alone, thus he only created the designs and models, and had them realized by his younger assistants. He died in Prague.

Statues on the Charles Bridge

Image:Charles Bridge St Francis-Xavier.jpg,

St. Francis Xavier Francis Xavier (born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta; Latin: ''Franciscus Xaverius''; Basque: ''Frantzisko Xabierkoa''; French: ''François Xavier''; Spanish: ''Francisco Javier''; Portuguese: ''Francisco Xavier''; 7 April 15063 December 15 ...

Image:Charles Bridge St Vincent&Prokop.jpg, Sts. Vincent Ferrer and Procopius Image:Charles Bridge St Francis Borgias.jpg,

St. Francis Borgia Francis Borgia ( ca-valencia, Francesc de Borja; es, Francisco de Borja; 28 October 1510 – 30 September 1572) was a Spanish Jesuit priest. The great-grandson of Pope Alexander VI, he was Duke of Gandía and a grandee of Spain. After th ...

Image:Charles Bridge St Caetan.jpg,

St. Cajetan Gaetano dei Conti di Thiene (6 October 1480 – 7 August 1547), known as Saint Cajetan (), was an Italian Catholic priest and religious reformer, co-founder of the Theatines. He is recognised as a saint in the Catholic Church, and his feast day ...

Image:Charles Bridge St Albert.jpg, St. Adalbert Image:Sv Barbora Marketa Alzbeta.jpg, Sts. Barbara, Margaret and Elizabeth

References

External links

foto-Krzeszow

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brokoff, Ferdinand 1688 births 1731 deaths Czech Baroque sculptors Czech male sculptors People from Jirkov 18th-century deaths from tuberculosis Tuberculosis deaths in the Czech Republic

Life and career

Statues on the Charles Bridge

See also

References

External links