Catalogue of works by Vladimir K. Hegel

Monuments

Monument to Miron Costin in Iaşi
Unveiled 30 September 1888
Bronze (statue and reliefs), pedestal (sandstone, designed by architects Kanen and Nicolae Gabrielescu)

The statue of Miron Costin in Iaşi was unveiled in September 1888. The statue and two bronze reliefs were made by sculptor Vladimir C. Hegel, while the sandstone plinth was designed by architect Nicolae Gabrielescu. The monument is dedicated to Miron Costin (1633-1691), a Moldavian chronicler and humanist writer. The sculpture was presumably inspired by a portrait located in the Church of St Theodorines in the village of Burdujeni (now a district of Suceava). It depicts Miron Costin in full form as a scholar and chronicler. The monument was erected on the site of Costin's former home and before that it was displayed for several days in the newly built Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest. With the unveiling of the monument, on 12 June 1888, the remains of Miron and his brother Velicico, exhumed from the family tomb in Brănișteni, were ceremonially placed under its plinth. It was eventually moved to its present location - in front of the Philharmonic building in Iaşi.

The initiative to build the monument came from the "Miron Costin" Society, bringing together prominent figures of Romanian cultural life. Significant financial support was also provided by King Charles I of Romania.

• There are two bas-reliefs on the pedestal: on the right, we see a scene in which Costin reads his work at the court of King John III Sobieski; below, the scene of Miron Costin's arrest in 1691, by order of the Moldavian ruler Constantin Cantemir.
• "Miron Costin reading at the court of King John III". - shows Costin presenting his work 'Historia w polskich wierszach o Moldawii i Wallachia' to King John III Sobieski, to whom he dedicated it in 1684.
• "The Arrest of Miron Costin" - depicts the dramatic moment of the chronicler's capture in December 1691, which ended with his beheading by order of Prince Constantine Cantemir.
  The monument bears an inscription documenting the construction initiative, the composition of the organising committee and a list of the main donors, including metropolitans, cities, institutions and private individuals.
• Dedicatory inscription: "TO MIRON COSTIN 1633-1691 The grateful Romanian people".

Monument to C.A. Rosetti in Bucharest
Unveiling 20 April 1903
Bronze

Monument to Constantin A. Rosetti (1816-1885), politician, journalist and writer, is located in the square named after him in the centre of Bucharest. The sculpture was cast in bronze in 1902 at the School of Arts and Crafts in Bucharest and set up a year later, in 1903, thanks to funds raised through a public collection.

The unveiling ceremony took place in the presence of many well-known public figures, including Prime Minister Dimitri A. Sturdza, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Mihail Pherekyde, Bucharest Mayor Constantin F. Robescu and members of the press.

The statue depicts Rosetti sitting in an armchair, in a meditative pose, with the newspaper Românul in one hand (the magazine of which he was the founder) and a pen in the other.

• There are also two bronze bas-reliefs on the stone pedestal, commemorating two key events in Romanian history in which Rosetti played an important role:
• 24 January 1859 - the unification of the Romanian Principalities,
  9 May 1877 - the proclamation of the independence of the Romanian state.

Inscription (bronze plaque on pedestal): C. A. Rosetti. 1816-1885 Enlighten yourself and you will. Desire and you shall achieve.

Monument to poet Vasile Alecsandri in Jassy
Unveiling 15 October 1906.
Bronze

Alecsandri was one of the key figures of 19th century Romania - both as a creator of national culture (member of the "Junimea" Society, director of the theatre in Iaşi, poet, playwright, collector of folklore) and as an active participant in political life (minister, diplomat, co-founder of the modern Romanian state).
The decision to erect a monument was taken shortly after his death, in 1890. The unveiling ceremony, attended by his wife and daughter. The event was also commemorated by the minting of an official medal by Nicolae Sternberg and a series of other medals

Monument to poet Vasile Alecsandri in Bacău
1897
Bronze (sculpture), sandstone (pedestal)

The statue was originally set on a carved stone plinth with inscriptions on all sides, which unfortunately has not been preserved. Today the statue is located in front of the Vasile Alecsandri National College building. The history of the monument dates back to 1893, when, on the initiative of the citizens of the city, a committee was set up to build the monument under the leadership of Gh. Răileanu. Funds were raised by public subscription and with the support of the local community. In later decades, Alecsandri's bust was moved several times - including to the courtyard of the high school - and its plinth was destroyed. Its reconstruction in line with the original design is currently under discussion

Monument to Dinicu Golescu in Bucharest
1908.
Bronze (sculpture), sandstone (pedestal)

The monument to Dinicu Golescu (1777-1830) boyar, writer, member of the Literary Society and author of the first Romanian travel diary - is one of the most impressive sculptural works of the early 20th century in Romania. Unveiled in 1908, it is the work of Vladimir C. Hegel, realised in collaboration with Carl Storck and Dimitrie D. Mirea.

The monument was placed on the representative boulevard named after Golescu, near the site where one of his residences was once located. The central figure of the sculptural ensemble is Dinicu Golescu, depicted in a standing posture. Four bronze busts of his sons are arranged at the foot of the plinth:

• Ștefan Golescu (1809-1874) - revolutionary of 1848 and Prime Minister of Romania (1867-1868),
• Nicolae Golescu (1810-1877) - Prime Minister of Romania in 1868 and 1870,
• Alexandru C. Golescu (1819-1881), called Arapila - Prime Minister of Romania in 1870,
• Radu Golescu (1814-1882) - officer in the Romanian army.

Dinicu Golescu, in addition to his political and public activity, was a forerunner of modern Romanian journalism and education. In 1826, he founded the first free rural school in his estate in Golești, open to all social strata. The monument is regarded as one of Hegel's last great works.

Legal status: class B monument, LMI code: B-III-mB-19989

Monument to Mihail Kogălniceanu in Piatra Neamț
Date of unveiling: 19 May 1913
Bronze, sandstone (pedestal)

Monument to Mihail Kogălniceanu (1817-1891), a prominent politician, lawyer and trusted advisor of Prince Aleksandr Jan Cuza, unveiled on 19 May 1913, the day of the inauguration of the National Congress of the League of Culture. It was created on the initiative of the local intelligentsia.

It depicts the moment of Kogălniceanu's famous speech at the Peace Congress in Berlin in 1878. On the front of the pedestal is a bronze plaque with a bas-relief depicting a scene with a group of peasants learning about the 1864 enfranchisement law, a symbol of the social reforms introduced by the Cuza government, in which Kogălniceanu played a key role. Initially, the statue was placed in Park din Centrul Vechi, near the town hall. In 1958, during the urban transformation of the communist period, the monument was taken away with the intention of being melted down in a steel mill. It was saved from destruction by Father Constantin Matasă, one of the region's cultural activists. After the urban space was cleaned up, the monument was temporarily moved to the Central Park, and then in 1974 it was placed in front of the Museum of History and Archaeology in Piatra Neamț, where it still stands today.

The history of this sculpture dates back to 1893, when Kogălniceanu posed for a sculptor for a bronze bust made for the Romanian Academy. The monument in Piatra Neamț, created twenty years later, is considered one of the most successful artistic realisations of the depiction of this figure.

Monument to the Defenders of 1948 in Bucharest
Unveiled on 29 September 1901
Bronze (sculpture), stone (pedestal)

Commemorates those who fought during the revolution of 1848. Its construction was initiated on 11 June 1898, on the 50th anniversary of the signing of the "Proclamation of Islaz" by Prince Gheorghe Bibescu, one of the key documents of the Wallachian Revolution.

The monument commemorates the battle of Spirii Hill on 13 September 1848, when troops of Bucharest revolutionaries and soldiers of the 2nd Wallachian infantry regiment attempted to defend the city against the intervention of Ottoman troops. The sculpture depicts a winged female figure interpreted as an allegory of Romania or an angel blowing a trumpet and supporting a wounded revolutionary.

The statue originally stood in front of the former arsenal. In 1984, due to the construction of the People's House, it was dismantled. After a few years - on 13 September 1990 - it was unveiled again in a new location, at the junction of Calea 13 Septembrie and Strada Izvor, where it still stands today.
Inscriptions:

• To the fighters of 13 September 1848. - grateful Romanian people - MDCCCC
• In commemoration of the battle fought at this site by Bucharest firefighters under Captain Zăgănescu and by the 2nd Battalion of the 2nd Line Regiment under Colonel Radu Golescu against a division of the Turkish army commanded by Cherim Pasha.

Sculptures in the gardens at Atenuem in Bucharest

• Mihail Kogălniceanu
• P. S. Aurelian
• Ienăchiţă Văcărescu, 1899
• Constantin Esarcu, 1900
• Vasile Alexandrescu Urechia
• Grigore Tocilescu
• C. I. Stăncescu

Museum objects

Bust of Queen Elisabeta (Elisabeta a României)
1891
Marble
Peleș National Museum, Sinaia
Inv. no. 1010/S102

Idealised portrait in neoclassical style. Queen Elisabeth of Romania (Elisabeta a României) shown with her head gently turned to the right, her hair pinned up in a bun and decorated with a diadem. The queen's face expresses pride and serenity, and her features have an idealised character. The work belongs to a series of portraits of prominent political and cultural personalities.
Signed: W. Hegel 1891

Information in the museum catalogue.

Bust of Mihail Kogălniceanu at the Romanian Academy
1893
Bronze
Romanian Academy, Bucharest

The celebration of the 200th anniversary of Mihail Kogălniceanu's birth provides an opportunity to remember his links with the Neamţ region. In recognition of his main collaborator Prince Al. I. Cuza, the inhabitants of the town of Piatra Neamţ font erected a monument to him in 1913, the work of the Polish sculptor Vladimir Hegel. The story of this public monument is closely linked to the presentation of the urban transformation of the town located on the Bistriţa River. At the same time, the activities of Mihail Kogălniceanu as a lawyer and businessman in Tg. Neamţ.

Column of Charles I (model)
1903
Bronze (cast: F. Barbedienne, Fondeur, Paris)
Peleș Museum, Sinaia

Model of a column referring to Trajan's Column. It commemorates Romania's victory in the War of Independence (1877-1878). It depicts scenes from the Romanian War of Independence. Reliefs showing scenes from the war campaign are depicted on the column's shaft. The composition is a typological reference to Trajan's column in Rome
Signed: W. Hegel sculpt / F. Barbedienne, Fondeur, Paris
Inscription: 1877-78 / KING KAROL I / ROMANIA'S MILITARY INSURGENCE CORPUS / 1903 //.

Information in the museum catalogue.

Miron Costin - sculptural study for a monument
Before 1888
Bronze
Height 40 cm
Muzeul Național de Artă al României, Bucharest
Inv. No. 89530/163

A small bronze sculpture depicting Miron Costin (1633-1691) is a portrait study in preparation for the monument unveiled in Iaşi in 1888. The model shows a bearded man with long hair, wearing a crown on his head - the image is kept in a historicising convention, emphasising the dignity of the figure.
Signed: V. Hegel.
Inscription (on the front, monogram at the base of the sculpture): M.C.

Legal status: entered in the register of movable monuments (2007).
Information in the museum catalogue.

Bust of Mihail Kogălniceanu
1893
Bronze
60 x 54 x 36 cm
Muzeul Național de Artă al României, Bucharest
Inv. no. 81096
Museum catalogue information.

Sculpture of Charles I
Bronze
Muzeul Municipiului Bucureşti, Bucharest

Bust of Ienăchiță Văcărescu
1897
Bronze
Muzeul Național de Artă al României, Bucharest
Inv. No. 63948/101D
Museum catalogue information .

Bust of Mihail Kogălniceanu
1893
Bronze
60 x 54 x 36 cm
Muzeul Național de Artă al României, Bucharest
Inv. no. 81096
Museum catalogue information .

Bust of Mihail Kogălniceanu
1893
Bronze
60 x 54 x 36 cm
Muzeul Național de Artă al României, Bucharest
Inv. no. 81096
Museum catalogue information.

Musketeer's head
1889
Bronze
Diameter 37 cm
Muzeul Național de Artă al României, Bucharest
Inv. no. 101202/156
Museum catalogue information.

Bust of Eugeniu Carada
End of 19th century
Bronze
73 x 52 x 25 cm
Muzeul Teatrului Național "I.L. Caragiale", Bucharest
Inv. No. B. 85
Museum catalogue information.

Bust of Queen Elisabeth (Elisabeta a României)
1891 (probably)
Bronze
38.5 x 23.5 x 16 cm
Muzeul Teatrului Național "I.L. Caragiale", Bucharest
Inv. No. 65343
Museum catalogue information.

Bust of King Charles I
1891 (probably)
Bronze
36.5 x 23.5 x 16 cm
Muzeul Național de Artă al României, Bucharest
Inv. no. 63861
Museum catalogue information.

Other realisations

Bucharest Palace of Justice, allegorical sculpture
Circa 1890.

One of the sculptures on the façade of the Palace of Justice. Located above the clock, it was destroyed in the earthquake of 1940, It depicted a female figure with her right hand raised holding a cross.