King Gambrinus, (sculpture).

King Gambrinus, (sculpture).

Unknown, sculptor.

King Gambrinus, (sculpture).

ca. 1905-1907. Relocated ca. 1974.

Painted limestone.

Approx. H. 11 ft.

Larger than life-size figure of King Gambrinus wears a cape, tunic, tights, short boots and a crown. The figure is bearded and rotund. His proper right foot rests on a beer keg. He holds a glass of beer in his upraised proper right hand.

Literature -- Character -- King Gambrinus

Portrait male -- Wagner, August -- Full length

Object -- Foodstuff -- Beverage

Outdoor Sculpture -- Ohio -- Columbus

Architectural component

Front Street Park, Northwest corner of Front & Sycamore Streets, Columbus, Ohio

Formerly located August Wagner Brewery, 605 South Front Street, Columbus, Ohio ca. 1905-1974.

Located near its original site, the main building of the August Wagner Breweries. Its founder, August Wagner, posed for the statue. After the building was razed in 1974, the statue was stored in two pieces and preserved before being reinstalled in its current site. The figure represents the legendary first brewer of beer, a mythical figure, the likeness based on a historical 13th century duke, Jan Primus, who was president of the Brussels Guild of Brewers. IAS files include a related article from the Columbus Dispatch, June 11, 1975.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Ohio, Columbus survey, 1994.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

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