Ferdinand Maxmilian Brokoff (

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus' Places * Czech, ...

: ''Ferdinand Maxmilián Brokoff''; 12 September 1688 – 8 March 1731) was a

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

and carver of the Baroque era.

Life and career

He was born in Červený Hrádek near Jirkov, Bohemia, the second son of Elisabeth and

Jan Brokoff Jan Brokoff, also known as Johann Brokoff, (23 June 1652 – 28 December 1718) was a baroque-era sculptor and carver. Brokoff was of Carpathian German origin, born in Spišská Sobota, today in Slovakia, then in Royal Hungary, and later w ...

. Ferdinand Brokoff's work is often compared with the work of

Matthias Braun Matthias Bernard Braun (Czech: ''Matyáš Bernard Braun'', 24 February 1684 in Sautens near Innsbruck – 15 February 1738 in Prague) was a sculptor and carver active in the Czech lands, one of the most prominent late baroque style sculptors ...

. 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 A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to life-size; a sculpture t ...

Charles Bridge Charles Bridge ( cs, Karlův most ) is a medieval stone arch bridge that crosses the Vltava river in Prague, Czech Republic. Its construction started in 1357 under the auspices of King Charles IV, and finished in the early 15th century.; The ...

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

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

n architect

Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach (20 July 1656 – 5 April 1723) was an Austrian architect, sculptor, engraver, and architectural historian whose Baroque architecture profoundly influenced and shaped the tastes of the Habsburg Empire. His inf ...

and moved to

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

(while still taking commissions from Prague) where he worked on the church of St. Charles Borromei. He was also active in

Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is split ...

(

Wrocław Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, rou ...

), but had to return to Prague soon due to progressing

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

. 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 ( cs, Hradčanské náměstí) in 1726. In 1722 he was also commissioned to create 13 pieces of the Calvary 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 Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...

Statues on the Charles Bridge

Image:Charles Bridge St Francis-Xavier.jpg, St. Francis Xavier Image:Charles Bridge St Vincent&Prokop.jpg, Sts. Vincent Ferrer and Procopius Image:Charles Bridge St Francis Borgias.jpg, St. Francis Borgia Image:Charles Bridge St Caetan.jpg, St. Cajetan 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