Ferdinand Maxmilian Brokoff (; 12 September 1688 – 8 March 1731) was a Czech
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
The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
era.
Life and career
Brokoff was born in Červený Hrádek in the
Kingdom of Bohemia
The Kingdom of Bohemia (), sometimes referenced in English literature as the Czech Kingdom, was a History of the Czech lands in the High Middle Ages, medieval and History of the Czech lands, early modern monarchy in Central Europe. It was the pr ...
(today part of
Jirkov in the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
), the second son of Elisabeth and
Jan Brokoff.
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 Kingdom of Bohemia, one of the most prominent late baroque style scu ...
. 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 ...
on
Charles Bridge
Charles Bridge ( , ) 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 bridge replaced ...
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
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
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
(while still taking commissions from Prague) where he worked on the church of St. Charles Borromei. He was also active in
Silesia
Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...
(
Wrocław
Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Eu ...
), but had to return to Prague soon due to progressing
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
. 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 in 1726. In 1722 he was also commissioned to create 13 pieces of the
Calvary
Calvary ( or ) or Golgotha () was a site immediately outside Jerusalem's walls where, according to Christianity's four canonical gospels, Jesus was crucified.
Since at least the early medieval period, it has been a destination for pilgrimage. ...
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 ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
.
Statues on the Charles Bridge
Charles Bridge St Francis-Xavier.jpg, St. Francis Xavier
Francis Xavier, SJ (born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta; ; ; ; ; ; 7 April 15063 December 1552), venerated as Saint Francis Xavier, was a Navarrese cleric and missionary. He co-founded the Society of Jesus and, as a representative o ...
Charles Bridge St Vincent&Prokop.jpg, Sts. Vincent Ferrer and Procopius
Charles Bridge St Francis Borgias.jpg, St. Francis Borgia
Charles Bridge St Caetan.jpg, St. Cajetan
Charles Bridge St Albert.jpg, St. Adalbert
Sv Barbora Marketa Alzbeta.jpg, Sts. Barbara, Margaret and Elizabeth
See also
*
Statue of Vitus, Charles Bridge
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
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{{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
18th-century sculptors from Bohemia