Italian or Austrian, 18th century | Italie ou Vienne, XVIIIe siècle

This pair of unique carved marble military trophies known as the Allegory of Victory, is an outstanding example of the full Baroque style, embodied by the virtuoso naturalistic treatment that characterises single elements of each composition: the drapery of the billowing flags, the helmets, the weapons, the branches of laurel and the palm of victory. This is the style that Bernini created at the birth of the Baroque style in Rome and that he was able to expand within Italy and abroad in the 17th century.

The concept behind this Allegory of Victory refers to the two ancient Roman prototypes so called “Trofei di Mario”, depicting weapons and the spoils of war seized in the Barbaric campaign, that date from the reign of the Emperor Domiziano or Traiano at the end of the first century A.C. They were placed in the balustrade of the Campidoglio in Rome in 1590, decorating the square designed by Michelangelo.

This type of allegorical military composition finds its full Baroque expression in the work by Giusto Le Court (Ypres 1627- Venezia 1679), active in Venice from 1655, particularly in the elaborate complexity of the naturalist details of the military trophies decorating the monument to Caterino Cornaro, executed between 1672-74 in the Basilica of Saint Anthony in Padua (A. Bacchi, 2000, fig.428). 

Other examples of elaborate military trophies decorate the monuments of two famous generals, celebrated for their victories against the Ottoman Empire:

-         the monument to Otto Wilhelm von Konigsmark in the Arsenal in Venice by Enrico Merengo (Rheine 1628- Venezia 1723), pupil of Giusto Le Court, dated 1688 (A. Bacchi, op. cit. 2000, fig.502).

-         the commemorative bronze bust of the Doge Francesco Morosini by Filippo Parodi (Genova 1630- 1702) in 1687, Ducal Palace, Venice (A. Bacchi, op. cit. 2000, fig.559).

The idea that there is a connection and a possible attribution of these military trophies to Paul Strudel (Denno 1648- Vienna 1708), is intriguing and fascinating. Strudel was a sculptor born in the Val di Non region in Trento, whose activity in the Veneto region between 1685-86 (A. Bacchi, 2003, pag.345) was well documented. It is also possible that he was a pupil of Giusto Le Court during that period. This theory is interesting considering that Strudel was the artist who introduced Vienna to the Baroque Berninesque style that he learnt and practised in Venice. He was appointed court sculptor by Emperor Leopold I of Habsburg : it is noteworthy to compare these allegorical trophies to those that decorate the windows of the Belvedere in Vienna, designed by Fischer von Erlach for Prince Eugenio of Savoy at the end of the XVII century. 

RELATED LITERATURE

A. Bacchi, La scultura a Venezia da Sansovino a Canova, Milano 2000;

A. Bacchi, Lucina Giacomelli, Scultura in Trentino, il 600’ ed il 700’, Trento 2003;

M. Koller, Die Brüder Strudel. Hofkünstler und Gründer der Wiener Kunstakademie, Innsbruck, Vienna, 1993.