"Lion of Lucerne" memorial plaque, 1st half of 19th century.

oak; size 41 x 48 cm

Relief according to a monument carved in a park in Lucerne, dedicated to the members of the Royal Swiss Guard who fell in 1792 in defense of King Louis XVI of France, during an attack by French revolutionaries on the Tuileries Palace in Paris. The plaque on display bears the inscription "HELVETIORUM FIDEI AC VIRTUTI" (Fidelity and Valor of the Helvetians). The inscription below the lion figure contains the names of the fallen officers and the number of soldiers (DCCLX-760) and those who survived (CCCL-350). The inscriptions at the bottom of the plaque refer to the genesis of the work ("STUDIO C. PFYFFER ARTE A. THORVALDSEN OPERA L. ANORN"). It was
initiative of guards officer Karl Pfyffer von Alishofer, the model was made by prominent Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen, while the presented bas-relief was made in 1820-1821 by Swiss sculptor Lucas Ahorn.
state of preservation 4