Horse Tamers - Vienna, Austria
Posted by: Metro2
N 48° 12.457 E 016° 21.566
33U E 600998 N 5340270
There are four similar sculptures of horses with their tamers in front of the Austrian Parliament Building.
Waymark Code: WMK4PA
Location: Wien, Austria
Date Posted: 02/11/2014
Views: 18
The Wikipedia page for the Austrian Parliament Building (
visit link) informs us:
"Four bronze statues of the horse tamers are located at the two lower ends of the ramp (Auffahrtsrampe). They are a powerful symbol of the suppression of passion, an important precondition for successful parliamentary cooperation. They were designed and executed by J. Lax in the Kaiserlich Königliche Kunst-Erzgießerei in 1897 and 1900. Further bronze works are the two quadrigas on top of the roof, each chariot pulled by four horses and steered by the goddess Nike. The bronze works had to undergo extensive conservation and restoration work in the 1990s, due to damage from acid rain and air pollution. Further oxidation corroded the bronze over the decades and ate holes into the sculptures. For that purpose each sculpture was completely encased in a separate structure for protection them from the elements while they underwent restoration."
Each work depicts a naked young well-built man standimng next to a wild horse raising its two front hooves.