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Little Princess Statue

Little Princess Statue (Kiskirálylány) is a 50 cm statuette created by László Marton in 1972. Inspired by his eldest daughter Évi, who played in a princess costume in the Tabán, the work captures a tender childhood image that became one of Budapest’s symbols. The original statuette sits on the Danube promenade in Budapest, Hungary, where a larger copy was placed in 1990. Another copy stands in Tapolca, the artist’s hometown, and a version was also donated to Japan for the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space concert hall. The original 1972 statuette is owned by the Hungarian National Gallery.

The Little Princess statue sits on a decorative railing, shown in black and white with a distant landscape behind it.
The Little Princess statue in Budapest, seated on a decorative railing under an overcast sky.
© · CC0
Little Princess bronze statue of a child in a coat and pointed cap sitting on a railing with a river and hillside buildings behind it.
Little Princess sits on a railing with a river and hilltop buildings in the background.
© · CC BY-SA 2.0
Little Princess bronze statue of a child sitting on a green railing with a city skyline and river in the background.
The Little Princess sculpture sits on a railing overlooking the river and city skyline.
© · CC BY 2.0
Little Princess statue sitting on a railing with a river and cityscape in the background.
Little Princess sits on a railing overlooking the river and the city skyline.
September 2006 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Little Princess bronze statue of a child in a cloak and jester cap beside a riverside railing.
Little Princess stands beside the river, framed by railing, foliage, and city buildings across the water.
October 2013 © · CC BY-SA 3.0

Identification

TitleLittle Princess
Original titleKiskirálylány
German titleDie Kleine Prinzessin
Alternative namethe elf
TypeStatue

Creator

ArtistLászló Marton
Artist life dates1925–2008
Artist honorsMunkácsy Prize and Kossuth Prize

Historical context

Year created1972
Original form50 cm statuette
Original workAn enlarged copy of a 50 cm statuette
Large-size copy installation date1990

Iconography and meaning

Artist statementMarton said that when he saw his 5-year-old daughter playing in a little princess costume in the Tabán, he immediately had the subject matter and sculpted Little Princess
Depicted scene inspirationAs a child in the Tabán district, Évike played dressed as a princess with a newspaper crown made by her father and pretended bathrobes were a mantle
InspirationMarton’s eldest daughter Évike, from his first marriage
SubjectA little princess seated

Physical characteristics

Height50 cm
PoseSeated

Location and ownership

Original locationOn the railings of the Danube promenade in Budapest, Hungary
Current owner of original statuetteHungarian National Gallery
Large-size copy locationOn the Danube promenade in Budapest, Hungary
Second copy locationTapolca, the artist’s hometown
Japan copy locationIn front of the concert hall of the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space cultural center, Japan
Japan copy donorDonated by the artist

History and restoration

ReplacementThe original sculpture was replaced in 1990 by a larger version

Significance

Symbolic significanceBecame a symbol of Budapest