Pegasus (Pilz)
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''Pegasus Tamed by the Muses Erato and Calliope'' are a pair of mirrored bronze sculptures designed by Vincenz Pilz. Each sculpture depicts
Pegasus Pegasus ( grc-gre, Πήγασος, Pḗgasos; la, Pegasus, Pegasos) is one of the best known creatures in Greek mythology. He is a winged divine stallion usually depicted as pure white in color. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as hor ...
accompanied by a muse from Greek mythology.
Erato In Greek mythology, Erato (; grc, Ἐρατώ) is one of the Greek Muses, which were inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. The name would mean "desired" or "lovely", if derived from the same root as Eros, as Apollonius o ...
, who represents love poetry and carries a lyre, is on the left sculpture and Calliope, who represents epic poetry and carries a scroll, is on the right. The sculptures, which are also known as the ''
Flying Horses The following is a list of fictional or mythological winged horses. Mythology *The ancient Pegasus is a mythological winged horse. *The Hippalectryon is a half-horse, half-rooster hybrid depicted in ancient Greek art. *Devadatta is the winged ...
'' or the ''Pegagus'' group, are located at
Memorial Hall A memorial hall is a hall built to commemorate an individual or group; most commonly those who have died in war. Most are intended for public use and are sometimes described as ''utilitarian memorials''. History of the Memorial Hall In the aft ...
, a National Historic Landmark in Philadelphia. Pilz designed the ''Pegasus'' sculptures for the Vienna State Opera in 1863. However, the Austrian government ordered the sculptures to be removed from the site of the Opera house and melted down after they were deemed to be disproportionately-sized for the building. Instead of being destroyed as directed, the sculptures were purchased by Philadelphia businessman and philanthropist Robert H. Gratz as a gift for Philadelphia's newly established Fairmont Park. The sculptures were deconstructed into pieces and shipped to the United States, where they were reassembled and installed in front of Memorial Hall for the Centennial Exposition in 1876. In 2017, the sculptures were again disassembled for conservation after a crack was discovered in one of the Pegasus's legs during a 2013 assessment by the Philadelphia's Office of Arts, Culture, and Creative Economy (OACCE). The conservation and restoration work was performed by Materials Conservation Co., and received a 2018 Grand Jury Award from the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia.


See also

*
List of public art in Philadelphia This is a list of public artworks in Philadelphia. The Association for Public Art estimates the city has thousands of public artworks; the Smithsonian lists more than 700. Since 1959 nearly 400 works of public art have been created as part of ...


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Outdoor sculptures in Philadelphia 1863 sculptures Equestrian statues in Pennsylvania Bronze sculptures in Pennsylvania West Fairmount Park Sculptures of classical mythology Sculptures of women in Pennsylvania Equestrian statues in Philadelphia {{public-art-stub