Bohuslav Schnirch was born in
Prague on 10 August 1845. Schnirch's father was the builder and engineer, , and his great-uncle,
Bedřich Schnirch, designed railways and bridges. He studied
civil engineering and architecture at the
Czech Technical University in Prague, where he was a student of
Josef Zítek. He continued his studies in Vienna with Professors
Franz Bauer and
Franz Melnitzky, and in Munich with
Max von Widnmann. During his stay in Italy, from 1871 to 1873, he was heavily influenced by
Renaissance sculpture. After returning home, Schnirch was approached by Zítek to provide decorations for the new
National Theatre, that was under construction. He created statues of
Apollo and the
Nine Muses for the columns above the main entrance. Some of his bronze figures, on the corner
pylons, were destroyed during the fire that engulfed parts of the theatre shortly after its opening in 1881. He also provided decorations for the
Rudolfinum; another building designed by Zítek. The
Neo-Renaissance design for the
National Museum, by
Josef Schulz, gave Schnirch an opportunity to compete in a contest, to select a sculptor for decorative work. He won the competition, over
Antonín Pavel Wagner and
Antonín Popp, and created four allegorical groups for the main dome, representing "Dedication", "Enthusiasm", "Love for the Truth" and "Love for the Past". He entered another competition in 1894, to design a monument for
St. Wenceslaus but, despite very positive reviews for his entry, he was passed over in favor of
Josef Václav Myslbek. His largest and most familiar work, an
equestrian monument to
George of Poděbrady, was completed in 1891, depicting the moment when George is reaching out to shake the hand of
Matthias Corvinus. The figure is twice life size and constructed of copper plates. His final major commission involved figures for the on
Old Town Square. One, a firefighter rescuing a victim, was the last work he completed before his death. The other, "A Call to Alarm", was completed by one of his students,
Ladislav Šaloun. The in the
Vinohrady district, has been declared a
cultural monument. It was built in 1875, from a design by
Antonín Wiehl, with
friezes by Schnirch. Schnirch died in Prague on 30 September 1901, aged 56. ==Selected works==