Bruges is a city in Belgium that is one of the best preserved Medieval cities in Europe. It is a popular tourist destination with much public sculpture, most of which is traditional figurative sculpture of religious significance or depicting historic Belgian figures. However it also has a number of quirky modern figurative sculptures that one might expect to be out of character for the city, but somehow blend in really well.
This sculpture was sculpted by Belgian artist Jef Claerhout in 1982. According to the English translation of his page in the Dutch Wikipedia “
Jef Claerhout
( Tielt , 1937 ) is a Belgian artist . From him are many bronze statues or artworks in Bruges Ommeland and Tielt and region (province of West Flanders ).
Metalworking belonged to the family tradition, so it was quite natural that Jef metal sculptures made. With various welding techniques and deformation in metal he tells the amazing stories his grandfather told him as a child: folk tales, in which humor, irony and mythology incorporated into fabulous figures, animals, birds and horses.”
The title of this piece is "Zeus, Leda, Prometheus and Pegasus Visit Bruges"
Bruges and Swans and Zeus
There are many swans that live on the nearby canal and they are used as a symbol of Bruges. This website http://www.in-bruges.co.uk/lovers-lake-in-bruges/lovers-lake-in-bruges.html states “In 1488 the people of Bruges had executed one of the town administrators belonging to the court of Maximilian of Austria. The town administrator ,Pieter Lanchals, family coat of arms featured a white swan. Legend has it that Maximilian punished Bruges by obliging the population to keep swans on their lakes and canals till eternity.”.
The Greek myth of Zeus and Leda has been incorporated into the sculpture. In Greek mythology, Zeus, the King of Gods, in the form of a swan seduced the mortal woman Leda, the wife of King Tyndareus of Sparta. Leda then gave birth to a number of children including the famed Helen of Troy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leda_(mythology)
In this sculpture the naked form of Leda is sprawled in the horse drawn carriage and is embracing Zeus in his form of the swan.
Bruges horse and carriage rides.
Horse and carriage rides have been a popular tourist attraction for many years and this sculpture has one at its heart. The only difference is that it is being pulled by the mythical winged horse, Pegasus and is rising into the air as Pegasus beats his wings.
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Pegasus had taken thunder and lightning to Zeus at Mount Olympus who later transformed him into the constellation Pegasus and placed him up in the sky.
The driver of the carriage in this sculpture is Prometheus who created mankind out of clay. He was the son of Lapetus, one of the twelve Titans. In this work he is shown in modern dress and wearing a bowler hat.
The statue is situated in the small square of Walplein. The square has a number of cafes and bars and is located close to the tourist attraction of Beguinage and one of the places where the horse and carriage rides can be picked up.