City coat of arms (2 pieces)

About this artwork.

The city coat of arms was the first in a long series of municipal sculpture assignments for Willem Valk. It consists of two identical bronze plaques, placed on both sides of the "Natte Brug" across the Helperdiep. The two-headed eagle of the Groningen coat of arms is very stylised bas-relief by Valk. The wings fan out from the middle of the almost square plaque. Later, Valk made two more city coats of arms that are less rigidly designed and characterised more by expressiveness.
 

In 1921 Willem Valk came to Groningen, where he would teach sculpture at the Minerva Art Academy for 43 years. In addition to his teaching remit, he created numerous portraits, nudes and sculptures for buildings in Groningen. The latter earned him the unofficial title of city sculptor. Valk was a representative of the Amsterdam School; a style in which sculpture forms an integral part of the architecture of a building.

Facts & Figures.

• Design
  Willem Valk

• District
  Helpman

• Year of creation
  1921

• Art type
  Art in / on a building, Plaque

• Material
  Bronze

• Dimensions
  h 0,69 x 0,59 m