"Prudence: also described as wisdom, the ability to judge between actions with regard to appropriate actions at a given time." --Wikipedia (
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"Prudence was considered by the ancient Greeks and later on by Christian philosophers, most notably Thomas Aquinas, as the cause, measure and form of all virtues. It is considered to be the auriga virtutum or the charioteer of the virtues." --Wikipedia (
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The statue depicts Wisdom as a nude male figure with a long piece of fabric draped over his right shoulder then falling down the centerline of the front of his body to the ground. His right elbow is bent at a 45 degree angle and he holds his right arm in front of his body. In his right hand, he holds a snake, which has coiled once around his right arm. His left arm hangs down by his left side and he holds a book in his left hand.
A plaque about the four statues is located near the Wisdom statue and reads (in Norwegian):
De 4 Kardinaldyder
Fasaden til Bergen Tinghus prydes av fire monumentale
skulpturer kalt Kardinaldydene som symboliserer menneskenes viktigste dyder eller egenskaper
- Visdommen, Rettferdigheten, Måteholdet og Styrken.
Skulpturene er laget av de Norske kunstnerene
Stinus Fredriksen (1902-1977) og Nicolai Schiøll (1901-1984),
Egil Reimers (1878-1946) er arkitekten bak Tinghuset (1933)
og skulpturene er en viktig del av fasaden for å gi
inngangspartiet tyngde og autoritet.
The 4 Cardinal Virtues
The facade of Bergen Courthouse adorned by four monumental
sculptures called cardinal virtues symbolizing mankind's most important virtues or characteristics
- Wisdom, Justice, Temperance and Strength.
The sculptures are made by the Norwegian artists
Stinus Fredriksen (1902-1977) and Nicolai Schiøll (1901-1984),
Egil Reimers (1878-1946) is the architect behind the courthouse (1933)
and sculptures are an important part of the facade to give
entrance weight and authority.