Mannetje, Hans ‘t (1944), ‘Sphinxes’ 1986, marble, Wertheimer Park, Plantage Middenlaan, Amsterdam
After the World Tourism Day, the focus on a strange phenomenon: you travel around the globe to see art and exhibitions, while you ‘forget’ the pearls your own home town has to offer. Hereby I shall make it up with Amsterdam sphinxes with a post on a pair. Or maybe it is better to annouce the ladies as thé Amsterdam sphinxes: it is the only pair in public space.
The duo, although classical in its form, is rather young, dating from 1986. Actually they are a remake of a pair, probably made from sinc. After WW2, the dilapidated creatures were removed and lost. But the local residents demanded the guardians back, and they succeeded after years. Modelled after the protoypes of the early 19th century, as shows the historical material on the website:
More information about the sphinxes in front of the Wertheim Park