Born 1811 in Basel, died 1880 in Bern

Restoration: Bernabrunnen, 1862/2000


Only the main figure of the Bernabrunnen, Berna, the tutelary goddess of Bern, is a bronze casting, which originally had a reddish-brown patina. The other figures – allegories, lion heads, and the four swans on the plinth – were made as less expensive iron castings. The brown tone of the bronze was matched with a polychrome coloring.
The swan figures showed serious signs of corrosion damage in parts. The Kunstgiesserei provided an expert opinion on how to deal with the damage. As a first step, one swan head was recast, the pipes and waterspouts were replaced, and the figure treated with a spray galvanizing. Next a linseed oil veneer was applied. The conservators decided on giving the swans a finish to match the light green patina that had developed on the bronze figure instead of their original brown tone. Conservation of the other figures in the fountain is planned for the future.