Matthias Fountain ( hu, Mátyás kútja, german: König Matthias Brunnen) is a monumental fountain group in the western forecourt of

Buda Castle Buda Castle ( hu, Budavári Palota, german: link=no, Burgpalast) is the historical castle and palace complex of the Hungarian Kings in Budapest. It was first completed in 1265, although the massive Baroque palace today occupying most of the si ...

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

Alajos Stróbl Alajos Stróbl (21 June 1856 – 13 December 1926) was a Hungarian sculptor and artist. His work is characterised by sensitive realistic modelling and he became one of the most renowned sculptors of memorials in Hungary at the turn of the ...

’s Neo-Baroque masterpiece is one of the most frequently photographed landmark in the Hungarian capital. It is sometimes called the ’Trevi Fountain of Budapest’.

Description

The group depicts a

hunting Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

party led by

Matthias Corvinus Matthias Corvinus, also called Matthias I ( hu, Hunyadi Mátyás, ro, Matia/Matei Corvin, hr, Matija/Matijaš Korvin, sk, Matej Korvín, cz, Matyáš Korvín; ), was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1458 to 1490. After conducting several mi ...

, the king of

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

. The

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

figures are standing on heaps of rocks against the backdrop of the northern facade of the former Castle Church. Water is running down between the cracks of the boulders. The whole theatrical arrangement bears resemblance to the famous

Trevi Fountain The Trevi Fountain ( it, Fontana di Trevi) is an 18th-century fountain in the Trevi district in Rome, Italy, designed by Italian architect Nicola Salvi and completed by Giuseppe Pannini and several others. Standing high and wide, it is the larg ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

although it is on a much smaller scale. The monumental facade behind the fountain is flanked by two pairs of giant

Corinthian Corinthian or Corinthians may refer to: *Several Pauline epistles, books of the New Testament of the Bible: **First Epistle to the Corinthians **Second Epistle to the Corinthians **Third Epistle to the Corinthians (Orthodox) *A demonym relating to ...

columns. The original

balustrade A baluster is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its con ...

crowning and the

Mansard roof A mansard or mansard roof (also called a French roof or curb roof) is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope, punctured by dormer windows, at a steeper angle than the upper. The ...

was more elaborate but it was simplified after damaged in the

second world war World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The central niche forms a

triumphal arch A triumphal arch is a free-standing monumental structure in the shape of an archway with one or more arched passageways, often designed to span a road. In its simplest form a triumphal arch consists of two massive piers connected by an arch, crow ...

which is decorated with King Matthias' personal coat of arms. The

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...

arboreal decoration of the niche creates an interesting stylistic contrast with the more traditional taste of the fountain. The surface is decorated with plain golden

mosaic A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...

. King Matthias is standing on the highest rock in hunting attire. He is holding a crossbow in his right and a huge dead stag lies at his feet. On the lower rocks a henchman blows his horn and the leader of the hunting group rests sitting on a boulder with his back towards the viewer. Three

hound A hound is a type of hunting dog used by hunters to track or chase prey. Description Hounds can be contrasted with gun dogs that assist hunters by identifying prey and/or recovering shot quarry. The hound breeds were the first hunting dogs. T ...

s complete the central group. There are two more bronze figures on the sides of the basin. They are connected to the central group with gestures and gazes but they have their own plinths. On the right is Szép Ilonka (Helen the Fair), heroine of a famous 19th century ballad by

Mihály Vörösmarty Mihály Vörösmarty (archaically English: Michael Vorosmarthy 1 December 180019 November 1855) was an important Hungarian poet and dramatist. Biography He was born at Puszta-Nyék (now Kápolnásnyék), of a noble Roman Catholic family. H ...

. According to the ballad, Ilonka and Matthias fell in love when he was hunting incognito. When Ilonka found out his true identity and assumed that this was an impossible love, she died of a broken heart. The girl is looking towards the king protecting her tame fawn from the hunters. On the right is the Italian chronicler,

Galeotto Marzio Galeotto is an Italian name used in the Middle Ages. In modern Italian language, it means prisoner. People Galeotto is the name of: * Galeotto Franciotti della Rovere (1471–1507), Italian Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal * Galeotto Graziani ...

who lived in King Matthias' court. A

sighthound Sighthounds, also called gazehounds, are a Dog type, type of dog, hounds that hunt primarily by sight and speed, rather than by scent and endurance as scent hounds do. Appearance These dogs specialize in pursuing prey, keeping it in sight, an ...

rests at his feet and a

falcon Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene. Adult falcons ...

perches on his left fist.

History

The fountain was erected by sculptor

and

Alajos Hauszmann Alajos Hauszmann (also called as ''Alois'', June 9, 1847 – July 31, 1926) was a Hungarian architect, professor, and member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Life Hauszmann was born in Buda in 1847 into a family of Bavarian origin as ...

, master builder of the reconstruction of the Royal Palace. After the composition scheme was approved by King Franz Joseph, Stróbl began to work in 1899. The figure of the henchman won a state gold medal in 1901. The stag was modelled after a majestic animal which was killed in 1896 by poachers in the forest where Stróbl went hunting. The models for the hounds were sent by duke Pálffy to the sculptor. The fountain was inaugurated in the presence of the king in 1904. The fountain survived the destruction of the second world war with minor damage. Only the middle dog was destroyed but it was reconstructed by Jenő Grantner (its artistic quality is lower than the originals). The simplified architectural crowning also created a bit of disharmony in the composition. Matthias Fountain was restored in 2010.

Gallery

File:Mátyás archív.jpg, Matthias Fountain in 1905 File:Mátyás 02.jpg, Matthias Fountain in 2011 File:Szép Ilonka.jpg, The figure of Szép Ilonka File:Galeotto Marzio.JPG, The figure of Galeotto Marzio {{coord, 47.49617, 19.03908, type:landmark_region:HU, format=dms, display=title Buda Castle Fountains in Hungary Buildings and structures in Budapest Tourist attractions in Budapest Art Nouveau sculptures and memorials Art Nouveau architecture in Budapest Baroque Revival architecture

Description

History

See also

Gallery