''Imperia'' is a statue at the entrance of the harbour of

Konstanz Konstanz (, , locally: ; also written as Constance in English) is a university city with approximately 83,000 inhabitants located at the western end of Lake Constance in the south of Germany. The city houses the University of Konstanz and was t ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

, commemorating the

Council of Constance The Council of Constance was a 15th-century ecumenical council recognized by the Catholic Church, held from 1414 to 1418 in the Bishopric of Constance in present-day Germany. The council ended the Western Schism by deposing or accepting the r ...

that took place there between 1414 and 1418. The concrete statue is high, weighs , and stands on a pedestal that rotates around its axis once every three minutes. It was created by

Peter Lenk Peter Lenk (born 6 June 1947, in Nuremberg) is a German sculptor based in Bodman-Ludwigshafen on Lake Constance, known for the controversial sexual content of his public art. Art Lenk's artworks include: *''Imperia'', a ten-meter-tall rotati ...

and clandestinely erected in 1993. The erection of the statue caused controversy, but it was on the private property of a rail company that did not object to its presence. Eventually, it became a widely-known landmark of Konstanz. ''Imperia'' shows a woman holding two men on her hands. Although the two men resemble

Pope Martin V Pope Martin V ( la, Martinus V; it, Martino V; January/February 1369 – 20 February 1431), born Otto (or Oddone) Colonna, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 November 1417 to his death in February 1431. Hi ...

(elected during the council) and Emperor Sigismund (who called the council), and they wear the

papal tiara The papal tiara is a crown (headgear), crown that was worn by popes of the Catholic Church from as early as the 8th century to the mid-20th. It was last used by Pope Paul VI in 1963 and only at the beginning of his reign. The name "tiara" refe ...

and imperial crown, Lenk has stated that these figures "are not the Pope and not the Emperor, but fools who have acquired the insignia of secular and spiritual power. And to what extent the real popes and emperors were also fools, I leave to the historical education of the viewer." The statue refers to a short story by Balzac, " La Belle Impéria". The story is a harsh satire of the Catholic clergy's morals, where Imperia seduces cardinals and princes at the Council of Constance and has power over them all. The historical Imperia that served as the source material of Balzac's story was a well-educated Italian

courtesan Courtesan, in modern usage, is a euphemism for a "kept" mistress or prostitute, particularly one with wealthy, powerful, or influential clients. The term historically referred to a courtier, a person who attended the court of a monarch or othe ...

who died in 1512, nearly 100 years after the council, and never visited Konstanz.Franca Petrucci: ''COGNATI, Imperia'', In: Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani - Volume 26 (1982)
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References

External links

{{in lang, de. Peter Lenk (sculptor). Retrieved February 22, 2017.
Text of ''Les contes drolatiques'' by Balzac, including "La belle Impéria"

3D-model of ''Imperia''
1993 establishments in Germany 1993 sculptures Buildings and structures in Konstanz (district) Concrete sculptures in Germany Outdoor sculptures in Germany Sculptures of men in Germany Sculptures of women in Germany Statues in Germany Seduction German satire Colossal statues Sculptures in Baden-Württemberg

References

Further reading

External links