Prohászka László: Equestrian Statues - Our Budapest (Budapest, 1997)
other, were placed by the inner ends of the colonnades: one representing the allegory of War, the other that of Peace. In the composition called War, the puffing horses whose manes fly in the wind are driven violently by an erect, helmeted, but otherwise naked male figure wielding a snake in place of a whip. Before being erected permanently, this imposing, four-metre high piece was introduced to the public at an exhibition where it met with universal acclaim. Critical recognition was not far behind either, as the sculpture was awarded the Grand “Company” Prize of the Palace of Exhibitions. The renowned art historian Károly Lyka said that this work of Zala was the “most powerfully sculpted piece of all the sculptural groups” in the monument. Across from the allegory of War was placed the much more restrained group of figures representing Peace. Behind the calmly treading horses, standing on the biga is a serene figure with the traditional symbol of peace, an olive- branch, in her hand. The steady calm of the composition is only slightly dramatised by the delicate stirring of the woman’s finely carved robes. While War seems to be thrust forward by some Renaissance power, Peace radiates with neo-Classical beauty. The contrast of the two statues is a precious feature of the monument, particularly because their striking silhouette is clearly distinguishable even from a great distance. Horses, however, are not only in evidence on the colonnades. The substructure of the thirty-six metre tall Corinthian column in the middle of the work also features seven equestrian statues. György Zala’s cast bronze pieces portray reigning prince Árpád and the seven leaders of the Magyar conquest. The names carved into the pediment are Árpád, Kond, Ond, Tétény, Tas, Huba, Előd. The artist created idealised heroic figures in accordance with the romantic conception of history characteristic of the period. Of the 4.7-metre tall figures, it was the equestrian statue of Árpád, placed in the middle, that was mounted on the pediment in 1912. The chiefs accompanying him had to wait for more than a decade and a half, as work on the sculptural ornamentation of the monument 16
