Prohászka László: Equestrian Statues - Our Budapest (Budapest, 1997)
count, no horse was allowed into his studio, it is worth observing how unobtrusively he solved the problem of supporting the huge monument by resting it on the richly flowing tail of the horse as well as its hind legs. The composition bears a distant resemblance to Étienne Maurice Falconet’s statue of Peter the Great, unveiled in 1782 in St. Petersburg. The tzar is putting his horse at a jump, whereas Rákóczi makes his stallion dance only with restrained, manly elegance. The Rákóczi monument is characterised by Baroque dynamism and some refined harmony at the same time. One can walk around the piece, and wherever one stops to contemplate it, the monument provides a fine aesthetic experience. This effect is heightened by the fact that the horse looks to the right, while the rider’s head is turned to the left, and their whole movement in general takes opposite directions. In compliance with the commissioners’ desires, this neo-Baroque monument of imposing proportions (the pediment is 4.7, the statue is 6 metres high) is harmoniously integrated with the monumental buildings of the square built in the style of Eclecticism. The uniformity of the effect made by the monument is greatly enhanced by the work of the exceptionally talented architect Dénes György, who used red Swedish granite to cover the pediment, whose smoothness of outline is in no contradiction with the unmistakably Baroque style. The fagade of the base carries the coroneted ducal escutcheon of Ferenc Rákóczi II. On the right, the following inscription can be seen: RECRVDESCVNT DIVTIMA 1NCLYTAE GENTIS HVNGARIAE VULNERA. The quotation is the opening sentence of Rákóczi’s famous Manifesto of 1 January 1704, antedated to 7 June 1703. In English translation it reads: “The old wounds of the glorious Hungarian nation are being torn open.” (The manifesto, addressed to the nations of the Christian world, was composed by the prince's personal secretary Pál Ráday.) Carved into the other side of the pedestal is the following inscription: 41
