Prohászka László: Equestrian Statues - Our Budapest (Budapest, 1997)

The monument to the 2nd Transylvanian Hussars

The first of these was the monument of the 2nd Transylvanian Hussars, erected in Bástya sétány (today’s Tóth Árpád sétány), a promenade at the edge of the Castle overlooking the Krisztinaváros district. The basic idea of the composition is a familiar motif - a naked male figure riding a rearing horse with man and horse turning their heads in opposite directions, a feature emphasising the dynamism of the piece. It is no coincidence that this description would be equally applicable to a treasured possession of the Budapest Museum of Fine Arts - Leonardo da Vinci’s priceless bronze statuette featuring a horse and its rider. A notable difference though, albeit one which does not alter the composition to any significant degree, is that the figure in the Castle wears a First World War helmet in place of the winged headgear of its archetype, and holds a hussar trumpet rather than a sword and a shield.

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