FAMOUS CROATIAN STATUES

By: Brenda Huber

Split:        Grgur Ninski Statue, 1929
The Grgur Ninski, “Gregory of Nin,” statue was sculpted in 1929 by Ivan Meštrović (1883 to 1962). At an impressive height of 28 feet, the statue is located at the north gate of Diocletian’s Palace in Split. Before entering the palace, it is traditional to rub the statue’s toe for good luck.
University of Notre Dame:       
The career of Meštrović, commonly referred to as “the Maestro,” is inextricably linked to the University of Notre Dame and the Snite Museum of Art. Meštrović was brought to campus in 1955 by Father Theodore M. Hesburgh, the legendary 15th-president of the university. Until his death in January of 1962 Meštrović served as “sculptor in residence” at Notre Dame, where he created a wide array of work now found across the campus and in the museum. 
While in Chicago in 1925 for an exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago, Meštrović was commissioned to create two monumental mounted American Indians at the Michigan Avenue entrance of Grant Park.
 

Dubrovnik:        Orlandov Stup, 1418
Orlandov Stup, “Orlando’s Column” was carved by the master craftsman Antun Dubrovčanin in 1418. It is the oldest public monument in Dubrovnik, honoring the knight Orlando who saved the city from Saracen pirates in the 8th century. 
Fun fact: Orlando’s forearm, 51.25 centimeters in length, became the standard measure for fabric where local merchants were measuring, cutting and selling fabric.

Mali Lošinj:    Hrvatski Apoksiomen, 1st or 2nd century B.C.
Hrvatski Apoksiomen, “Croatian Apoxyomenos,” is a stunning bronze statue that dates back to the 1st or 2nd century B.C.  Currently housed at the “Museum of Apoxyomenos” in Mali Lošinj, the statue was discovered in 1996 on the sea floor at a depth of 148 feet, southeast of the island of Lošinj. After being raised from the sea in 1999, it took artisans seven years to painstakingly by hand remove the sea organisms that covered it completely. It is the most complete and best preserved of the eight Apoxyomenos statues in the world.