Monument to King Frederick William III of Prussia
by DRAKE, Johann Friedrich, Carrara marble, height 278 cm
The monument to King Frederick William III in Berlin’s Tiergarten (zoo) recalls the transformation of the zoo into a public park at the king’s instigation.
The standing figure of the monarch wears plain contemporary dress. With his left hand against his chest, in his right hand, with which he supports himself on a memorial adorned only with the profile relief of his beloved Queen Louise, he holds a wreath of immortality. A relief around the base shows several crowded groups of nude or clothed figures in the open air.
The monument is considered Drake’s masterpiece.