What magnificent creatures are these? Before you, frozen in Carrara marble, stands the Rossebändiger-Gruppe. These horse tamers, a testament to artistry and equine majesty, guard the entrance to the Platanenallee. This avenue leads to Schloss Rosenstein in Stuttgart’s Unterer Schlossgarten. The Rossebändiger-Gruppe is more than just a beautiful sculpture. It represents the passion of a king. King Wilhelm I of Württemberg, an avid equestrian and breeder of Arabian horses, commissioned this masterpiece.
The Rossebändiger-Gruppe was sculpted between 1844 and 1847 by court sculptor Ludwig von Hofer. The king initially wanted a copy of the famous horse tamers from Monte Cavallo in Rome. Hofer, however, convinced him that an original piece would be a more fitting tribute to his breeding efforts. Initially planned in cast iron, the king was eventually persuaded that marble would be a more suitable medium. This elevated the Rossebändiger-Gruppe from a mere statue to a celebration of the king’s dedication to Arabian horse breeding.
Hofer dedicated himself to the project. He spent 1843 and 1844 studying horse anatomy at the Stuttgart veterinary school. He selected his models from the king’s finest Arabian steeds. Five different horses served as inspiration for the heads alone. The majestic Bagdadi von Bairactar, one of the king’s most beautiful stallions, modeled for the rearing horse. This magnificent animal would rear on its own, providing Hofer with the perfect pose.
From 1845 to 1847, von Hofer lived in Italy to carve the statues from Carrara marble. The transport, marble, and sculpting cost a staggering 90,000 Gulden, equivalent to about 1.7 million euros today. This exorbitant price drew criticism. It was a time of hardship, but the king, unwavering in his passion, funded the project from his private purse. The journey of the Rossebändiger-Gruppe to Stuttgart was fraught with challenges. The ship carrying the sculptures couldn’t pass under a canal bridge in Heilbronn due to their height. Part of the bridge had to be demolished, and a temporary one built at great expense.
Despite these setbacks, the Rossebändiger-Gruppe arrived in Stuttgart in May 1848. The statues were unveiled to great fanfare. They were immediately hailed as masterpieces. Critics compared them to the ancient colossi on Monte Cavallo and the sculptures in Paris’s Place de la Concorde. Look closely at the powerful, lifelike figures. The horses, their muscles rippling beneath their skin, seem ready to spring into action. The two men, one partially clothed and one nude, strain to control the horses’ untamed power. The Rossebändiger-Gruppe is more than just a sculpture. It is a testament to a king’s passion, an artist’s skill, and the enduring beauty of the Arabian horse.