STATUE OF ST. JOHN OF NEPOMUK
The sandstone statue of the then newly canonized Saint John of Nepomuk, canonized on 19 March 1729, dates from 1730 and was created by the Ostrov sculptor Zeidler. The work is executed at approximately three-quarters life size, and the total height of the statue including its pedestal reaches about four metres. Originally, the statue stood on a small bridge on the road to Boží Dar, at the point where the road crossed one of the Jáchymov streams. This bridge was demolished during urban landscaping works in the 19th century, when the town’s watercourses were diverted underground. The statue was originally polychromed, and traces of the original colours are still visible today.
The depiction of the saint follows the model established by a statue by Jan Brokoff, which became a standardized representation. Saint John is shown as a priest in a rochet with a biretta on his head; in his left hand he holds a crucifix to his chest, supporting it with his right hand. The statue stands on a low triangular prismatic base with concavely curved sides. Around the head there was originally a halo supplemented with five stars. This characteristic attribute is relatively unusual, as stars around the head are otherwise more commonly associated with depictions of the Virgin Mary.
The statue with its base is set on a tall triangular profiled pedestal with concavely curved sides, decorated with simple geometric frames. The pedestal rests on two granite steps with chamfered upper edges of triangular ground plan.
