| Little Princess Statue, Budapest (Kiskirálylány) | |
|---|---|
| hu: Kiskirálylány szobor (Statue) | |
 Little Princess Statue in Budapest, Hungary. | |
| Artist | László Marton |
| Year | 1972/1990 |
| Dimensions | 50 (1972) cm (??) |
| Location | Budapest, Hungary |
| 47°29′45″N 19°02′53″E / 47.49593°N 19.04817°E | |
The original 50 cm statuette of the Little Princess (Kiskirálylány) Statue sitting on the railings of the Danube promenade in Budapest, Hungary was created by László Marton (1925–2008) Munkácsy- and Kossuth Prize-winning sculptor in 1972.
The artist was inspired by his eldest daughter born from his first marriage. She often played in the Tabán wearing a princess costume and a crown made out of newspaper by her father, and at home as well, pretending her bathrobes were a mantle. This image prompted her father, the artist in the creation of this little statue.
László Marton writes: "Évike born from my first marriage, at the age of 5, was playing in a little princess costume in the Tabán playground. When I saw it, I immediately had the subject matter. Titled "Little Princess" I sculpted it as well. It was placed in an elegant location on the Danube promenade. Became a symbol of Budapest."[1]
"I modeled it after my own daughter – says László Marton in his studio (2007) – she was maybe six years old and playing in the garden. She dressed as a princess: laid a bathrobe on her shoulders and put a crown on her head. I managed to capture this moment and immediately felt that this was a successful work of art. Years later, the capital requested a statue from me. I immediately thought of the "Little Princess" and luckily we managed to find the place where the statue feels good."[2]
A larger size copy of this statue was placed on the Danube promenade in 1990, and a second copy in Tapolca, the artist's hometown. A copy of the same statue stands in Japan too – donated by the artist – in front of the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space cultural center's concert hall. The original statuette (1972) is owned by Hungarian National Gallery.
