The life-size marble statue of Crown Princess Luise (1776–1810) with her sister, Princess Friederike (1778–1841) of Prussia, is one of the major works of European Classicism (see also the plaster model, Inv. No. B I 76). In terms of genre, Schadow created something entirely new with this two-figure group, for it is not a monument to men of particular merit, nor an explicitly dynastic self-portrayal of the Hohenzollerns, but primarily a hymn to youth, grace, and beauty. The upright Luise, gazing into the distance, contrasts in a charming, subtle way with her younger, somewhat more coquettish sister Friederike; but the element connecting the two figures lies not only in Luise’s arm encircling her sister and the intimate touch of their hands, but also in their leaning against one another, in the overall pyramidal form, and in the unified treatment of the classical-style robes. The plaster model (B I 76) of the group served as a basis for the marble version, which was largely executed by Schadow’s assistant Claude Goussaut, while the master himself reserved the task of finishing the faces and arms. Small-scale casts in bisque porcelain were also produced based on the model.
The model is published as open access record in the EUreka3D Data Hub, aggregated in Europeana in the context of Twin.it for Germany, on behalf of the Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz.
