Seite - 332 - in Die Repräsentation der Habsburg-Lothringischen Dynastie in Musik, visuellen Medien und Architektur - 1618–1918

332 Sektion IV: Zeremonielle Räume und die „Öffentlichkeiten“ Because of the lack of written documents, it is difficult to make any final conclu- sions about the exact date when these two sculptures were made; however, it may be argued with confidence that the bust of Leopold I is of an earlier date, and it can be suggested – with even greater certainty – that the bust of Charles VI was made in 1728. This opinion is corroborated by the quoted inscription below the bust of Charles VI, which, correctly transcribed, indicates that it was made on the occasion of his official visit to Rijeka. In the same year, Francesco Robba (1698–1757), the Venetian sculptor who set- tled in Ljubljana, made the bust of Charles VI in the context of exhaustive prepara- tions for the emperor’s visit to Ljubljana during his tour around his hereditary lands to receive homage (Erbhuldigung). Robba produced his statue of Charles VI in two versions – one made of marble and another in the technique of unbaked clay (ter- racruda), the latter of which originally adorned the gate of the Town Hall and is nowadays preserved, badly damaged, at the National Gallery in Ljubljana.10 In 1728, five days before his arrival, Charles VI visited Trieste as well, where a standing statue of the ruler on a high column in the Square of Italian Unity (Piazza del’Unità d’Italia) was erected to honour his visit to the port. This visit, described thoroughly in a report on Charles VI’s arrival and stay in Trieste, although announced a year in advance, caused trouble to the organisers of the emperor’s reception in his “most devoted town” due to some changes in the itinerary.11 On 30 August, the im- provised wooden gilded statue was placed on the pillar in the Unity Square instead of the planned one cast in bronze, which could not be completed in time.12 The pres- ent statue, the work of a lesser-known Venetian sculptor Lorenzo Fanoli, was made of stone in 1756, following the imperial posture of the “original” wooden standing figure of the sovereign dressed in armour, pointing with his prominent arm towards Piazza della Borsa, where the statue of Leopold I stands13, and towards the sea, as a reminder that he founded the port in 1719 as a significant boost to trade and the development of Trieste. That the subjects were on both occasions expected to show their eternal gratitude is illustrated by the words of the chronicler: “Andava pubblicando la fama, ancor nel corso dell’anno 1727 passato, che l’au- gustissima maestà di ces: CARLO VI. volesse intraprendere un viaggio, per gli stati e provincie dell’Austria interiore; dalla quale risvegliati gli spiriti della nobiltà e popolo della città di Trieste, sospirava la’ loro fedeltà e zelo che le sparse voci si verificassero, e così tornasse il figlio a far in essa risplendere un pari giorno a quello con il quale restò illuminata l’anno 1660, il 25 settembre, per la felice venùta del grande e sempre augusto LEOPOLDO imperatore di Lui padre, acciò anche ne’ posteri si rinnovassero gli argomenti d’un amore e d’un’