Vices in Kuks, Baroque statues in Kuks, Czech Republic
Vices in Kuks is a set of allegorical sculptures by Matthias Braun placed along the northern facade of the hospital building in Kuks, Czech Republic. The ensemble comprises twenty-four figures carved after 1717, representing human qualities as part of a moralizing Baroque program. The statues stand in a single row along the facade, not in two parallel rows.
Count Franz Anton von Sporck commissioned sculptor Matthias Braun between 1718 and 1720 to create these allegorical figures. The sculptures came about as part of the larger spa and hospital ensemble that Sporck built on his estate.
The stone figures carry their meaning through small objects they hold or keep with them. On one side of the building facade appear human weaknesses such as Greed and Envy, while across from them stand virtues such as Faith and Hope.
The sculptures are freely accessible and can be viewed during a walk through the hospital complex. Details of the figures are best seen in daylight when walking directly along the facade.
The collection originally was painted in colours, which has since been lost from the stone. In the second half of the 20th century most of the figures were replaced by casts, and the surviving originals were moved into the hospital's lapidarium, where their conservation continues.
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