Ancient Legacy in Service of Money : A Comment on Sculptural Decorations of the Mortgage Bank of the Bohemian Kingdom in Prague
2012
Abstract
The article exemplifies typical possibilities of use of the classical patterns during the late 19th century. The sculpted decoration of façade of the Mortgage Bank added some well articulated notions to the classical repertory, responding to the contemporary developments of economics.
The rhetoric of the bank façade's decoration culminated in a personification of "Capital". This sculpture mixed elements of an image of Roman imperator/victor with Fortuna in a sophisticated and inventive way.
It covered a reality of modern market economics with its turbulencies by an image of a both powerful and supportive being to create an attractive sign of the bank.