Prague, Nov 12 (CTK) – The rarest and most vulnerable statues on Prague’s historical Charles Bridge have been replaced with copies to prevent them from being irreversibly damaged or endangering passers-by due to their poor technical condition, daily Pravo writes in its central Bohemian supplement ton Saturday.
“Generally, the Gallery of Prague tries to preserve the original sculptures in public areas as long as their state and material condition enables it,” Marie Foltynova, the gallery’s expert in charge of public sculptures, is quoted as saying.
An original is replaced with a copy only if its statics condition becomes irreversibly impaired or if the statue is threatened with losing the features typical of its author’s style, Foltynova said.
The 14th-century bridge is one of Prague’s most popular sights. Thirty statues gradually appeared in two rows on each of its sides during the following centuries.
At present, there are eight copies of statues on Charles Bridge, and another two will be installed next year, the sculpture of St Francis Borgia and the sculpture of St Vincent Ferrer and St Procopius, both works by Czech Baroque sculptor Ferdinand Maxmilian Brokoff.
There still remain 12 original statues by various authors from the 17th and 18th centuries.
“We take an individual approach to each sculpture on Charles Bridge. We are not planning any other replacements in the foreseeable future,” Foltynova told Pravo.
Czech sandstone, the material which local Baroque masters used most frequently of all, is rather vulnerable and suffers from exposure combined with the negative impact of the river’s vicinity.
The curators prefer restoring the originals to making copies, which is extremely cost-intensive Foltynova said.
“The younger statues and sculptures rather need a regular maintenance, cleaning and restoration of damaged details,” she said.
She referred to Charles Bridge’s eight statues that originate from the mid-19th century and were made by the Josef and Emanuel Max brothers, and the youngest original sculpture, Karel Dvorak’s St Cyril and Methodius from 1936.
The originals that have been definitively removed from the bridge have ended at various places in Prague, Pravo writes.
