Martin Luther
Fine Arts Collection #976
Artist: Ernst Friedrich Rietschel, 1804-1861
Nationality: German
Date: 1911
Medium/Technique: Bronze on concrete stucco base
It was cast by the Flour City Ornamental Ironworks in Minneapolis,
MN. The pedestal is constructed of concrete and stone with a plaster
coating made by the Decorah Cement Sidewalk Co. here in Decorah.
Original Cost: $2,547.00
The sculpture was paid for by the wives of the Norwegian Synod of
the Lutheran Church here in the United States.
Dimensions:
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Sculpture:
Height: 11'
Width: 4'6"
Depth: 4'6"
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Pedestal:
Height: 10'
Width: 9'2"
Depth: 9'2" |
Location: East of Larsen Hall
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Notes:
The sculpture was erected in 1911 as part of the celebrations of the
50th anniversary of the founding of Luther College, and was dedicated
on October 14, 1911. Placement of the sculpture was recommended by well-known landscape
architect Jens Jensen of Chicago who had designed a plan for the Luther
campus. Although early landscape planners wanted to locate the sculpture in front of Main, Jensen preferred its present location, where it would be viewed against a backround of bushes and trees.It is a replica of the Ernst Rietschel sculpture in Worms, Germany
but is a third generation sculpture. That is, the original sculpture,
by Rietschel, provided the molds for the Luther sculpture located at Concordia
Seminary in St. Louis, MO. Our sculpture was made from molds of the sculpture
at Concordia Seminary.
Other known replicas which exist in the United States besides the one
at Luther College are:
Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, IA
Concordia College, St. Paul, MN
Luther Memorial Park, Detroit, MI
Luther Place Memorial Church, Washington DC
The Luther sculpture has been placed on the Inventory of the National
Museum of American Art at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC
The sculpture has been reviewed by representatives of the Save Our Sculpture
organization in 1994, from Iowa State University, College of Design, and
placed on their inventory.
Jane Kemp
Supervisor, Fine Arts Collection
Updated 9/20/01
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