Book about the Representative of Humanity

Thirteen experts in architecture, art, art history, medicine, philosophy and theology have reconstructed the origin and development of the Representative of Humanity.

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Hardly any other work by Rudolf Steiner has been as well documented as the group sculpture of the Representative of Humanity. The sculpture’s motifs and the ten-year history of its creation have been studied in depth by thirteen experts. The group, which has been put under a preservation order by the canton of Solothurn in 2011, is composed of the figures of the Representative of Humanity, of Ahriman, Lucifer and an elemental rock being (‘the world humour’).

As with the realization of other anthroposophical ideas, several people were involved in the creation of the group sculpture, starting with the preparation of the plasticine in 1915 and the installation of the scaffolding. Once various helpers had prepared the carving down to two centimetres above the final surface, Edith Maryon and Rudolf Steiner took over. They could, however, not complete their work because Edith Maryon died in 1924 and Rudolf Steiner in 1925. No further carving has been done since then.

But even independently of this, the entire project was part of a searching process. According to Manfred von Kries, Rudolf Steiner said, “I know that everything we have attempted here – the whole building, the painting of the ceiling, the glass windows – is a modest beginning and, like every beginning, it has shortcomings that we are well aware of.” This seems to indicate, as some of the authors demonstrate, that the sculpture group was part of a more comprehensive creative context. The contributions to the book are illustrated with numerous drawings and historical photographs as well as photographs taken after the restoration.

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