Battle Scene with Turks
Ignaz Elhafen (1658–1715)
c. 1688/95
this site may contain automatically translated text
Ignaz Elhafen often drew inspiration both for individual figures and for entire compositions from print sources. The ‘Roman Battle Scene’ (SK 568) reveals the sculptor’s ingenious appropriation of the work of Antonio Tempesta. It represents an artful combination of the single figure of Aemilius from one of his engravings (B. XVII, 156, 853) with the overall cavalry charge from another (B. XVII, 156, 830). Conversely, no graphic sources for the ‘Battle Scene with Turks’ (SK 558) have been identified, which is however no guarantee that no such source exists.
The two scenes may have been commissioned by Prince Johann Adam Andreas I von Liechtenstein. That they were designed as a pair is clear not only because they are identical in size and appear to be carved from pieces of markedly striated ivory from the same elephant tusk, nor even because they are populated by similar figure types, but above all because of the way their compositions are organized. In both, the background consists of artfully directional lances and flags with an amorphous mass of soldiery in front of them and in the foreground a select number of resplendently three-dimensional protagonists.
Neither relief gives any indication that it is meant to portray a specific battle, and the pairing of an episode from classical history with a modern narrative is uncommon. The imperial wars against the Ottomans lasted from 1683 to 1699, so this piece was almost certainly carved before their conclusion, though very possibly after the decisive Battle of Zenta (1697), which marked the beginning of the end of the Turkish threat.
- Material/technique
- ivory
- Measurements
- 14.1 × 23.1 cm
- Acquisition
- presumably acquired in Prince Johann Adam Andreas I von Liechtenstein
- Artists/makers/authors
- Ignaz Elhafen
- Inventory number
- SK 558
- Signature/inscriptions content only available in German
- in der rechten unteren Ecke bez.: I.E.
- Provenance
- probably mentioned in the collection catalogue of Vincenzio Fanti 1767
- Place of origin
- Vienna
- Iconography
- Battle , Turkish Wars
Ch. Scherer, Studien zur Elfenbeinplastik der Barockzeit, in: Studien zur Deutschen Kunstgeschichte 12, Strassburg 1897, S. 7, Kat. 16-19
E. Tietze-Conrat, Die Erfindung im Relief: Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der Kleinkunst, in: Jahrbuch der Kunsthistorischen Sammlungen in Wien, Bd. 35, Bd. Bd. 35 1920, S. 174, Kat. 46
Christian Theuerkauff, Studien zur Elfenbeinplastik des Barock, Matthias Rauchmiller und Ignaz Elhafen, Dissertation Freiburg im Breisgau 1964, S. 130f., Kat. 81
Ch. Theuerkauff, Der "Helffenbeinarbeiter" Ignaz Elhafen, in: Wiener Jahrbuch für Kunstgeschichte, Bd. XXI 1968, S. 103, Nr. 81, Abb. 95
Johanna Hecht, Ausst.-Kat. Liechtenstein. The Princely Collections, New York 1985, S. 108-112, Kat. 74
Ausst.-Kat. Sammlungen des Fürsten von Liechtenstein, Uwe Wieczorek, Paul Reiles, Jean Luc Koltz (Hg.), Museée national d'histoire et d'art Luxembourg, Luxemburg 8.7.1995–3.9.1995, erschienen Luxemburg 1995, S. 51–53, Kat.-Nr. 27
Ausst.-Kat. Collections du Prince de Liechtenstein, Uwe Wieczorek, Paul Reiles, Jean Luc Koltz (Hg.), Musée national d’histoire et d’art de Luxembourg, Luxemburg 8.7.1995–3.9.1995, erschienen Luxemburg 1995, S. 48, Nr. 27, Textband S. 51-53, Kat. 27
Mareike Bückling, Meisterwerke der Sammlungen des Fürsten von Liechtenstein. Skulpturen – Kunsthandwerk – Waffen, Bern 1996, S. 86-87 u. 293, Kat. 27
Johann Kräftner, Pferde, Wagen, Ställe. Pferdetradition im Haus Liechtenstein. Liechtenstein Museum Wien, München–Berlin–London–New York 2006, Abb. S. 70
Ausst.-Kat. Das Glück dieser Erde... Pferde als höfisches Motiv der Kunstgeschichte. Aus den Sammlungen des Fürsten von und zu Liechtenstein, Kathrine Klopf-Weiss, Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein, Vaduz 6.3.2009–18.10.2009, erschienen Wien–Vaduz 2009, Kat. 64
Ausst.-Kat. Liechtenstein. Die Fürstlichen Sammlungen, Regula Berger, Matthias Frehner und Rainer Lawicki (Hg.), Kunstmuseum, Bern 12.11.2016–19.3.2017, erschienen München 2016, S. 103, Kat.-Nr. 49
Ausst.-Kat. Liechtenstein. 900 years of a ruling family in the heart of Europe, LIECHTENSTEIN. The Princely Collections, Vaduz–Vienna (Hg.), National Palace Museum, Seoul 5.12.2018–10.2.2019, erschienen Seoul 2018, S. 322–323, Kat.-Nr. 51