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

arms. The inscription 1936 above this refers to the date when the monument was actually erected (rattier than unveiled).

The discussion of the sculptural section of the monument would be incomplete without its comparison with two further pieces by Vastagh also erected in the Buda Castle in the mid-thirties. The composition of the Hadik statue is in many ways reminiscent of the one of Görgey erected two years earlier. Both feature an upright male figure, his head slightly turned to the left, wearing a sword by his side and with two holsters on the sides of the saddle. The choreography is thus apparently identical. And yet the two works markedly differ from one another.

Hadik’s horse raises, rather than hangs, its intelligent head. Some of the dynamism may have been lost with this feature, but it enhances the overall grace of the composition. Furthermore, while Görgey’s statue is plainness itself, Hadik’s radiates some refined elegance. The legendary hussar general of the 18th century does not ride his horse bareheaded; his richly ornamented hussar's shako, complete with panache, seems to give extra emphasis to his gallant carriage. In his right hand, Hadik holds a marshal’s baton; his pelisse, covered with piping, is crossed by the sash of the Maria Theresa Order, and he wears a pair of cordovan boots with the obligatory spurs; the pistol holster by his knees, as well as the saddle-cloth and his sabretache, are profusely ornamented. It is interesting to note that the artist made a point of having the general, in the traditional manner of a cavalryman, wear his sabre tied up, as it were, in revers. (The basket of the hilt is turned backwards, rather than forwards, because one on horseback would draw with a backhanded downward motion which followed the curve of the sword so that the blade would move ahead.) Incidentally, the sword itself, just like Görgey’s, is an exact replica of the original. As Hadik’s sabre had survived the vicissitudes of history (and can still be found in the Museum of Military History), Vastagh was able to aim at historical authenticity.

This kind of meticulousness and detailed ornamentation can often ruin the whole composition. (That is what happened to the nearby statue of St. István by Alajos Stróbl.) György Vastagh jr., however, avoided this pitfall. Clearly, there is no self-indulgence about the ornamenta38