Triumf Ctnosti nad Neřestí

Triumph of Virtue over Vice (Czech: Triumf Ctnosti nad Neřestí) is a Baroque statue standing in the Wallenstein Garden (Valdštejnská zahrada) in Prague's Malá Strana district — a copy of a work by the Dutch sculptor Adriaen de Vries, part of a set that once decorated the garden alongside a fountain featuring Hercules.

Who created the original sculpture?

The original was designed by Adriaen de Vries (1545–1626), a Dutch sculptor who worked at the court of Emperor Rudolf II and spent part of his life in Malá Strana. He created a series of sculptures that adorned the newly laid-out garden of Albrecht von Wallenstein's palace between 1625 and 1626.

What happened to the original statue?

The original never stayed in place. In 1648, near the end of the Thirty Years' War, Swedish troops captured Prague and carried off de Vries's sculptures as war booty. The originals remain in Sweden today, housed in a museum dedicated to the sculptor near Drottningholm Palace outside Stockholm. What visitors see in the Wallenstein Garden now is a copy made in the early 20th century, when the garden's original sculptural decoration was recreated.

Where exactly does the statue stand in the garden?

The figure stands in the northern part of the Wallenstein Garden, at a crossing of paths, next to a fountain with a sculpture of Hercules — this section of the garden belonged to the original layout designed around de Vries's works.

Why does the statue have two different names?

The sculpture is known under two titles — "Triumph of Virtue over Vice" and "Nymph and Satyr Fighting." Sources disagree on which scene the piece actually depicts, which suggests the allegorical figures allow for both readings: a struggle between personified virtue and vice, or a mythological clash between a nymph and a satyr.

Why visit the Wallenstein Garden?

The garden belongs to the Wallenstein Palace complex in Malá Strana, today the seat of the Czech Senate. It was one of the first Baroque gardens built in Prague, laid out on a scale that rivalled royal residences, complete with sculptures, an artificial grotto, and a pond once home to peacocks. A walk through the garden takes in not only the copy of de Vries's work but also the Hercules fountain and the rest of the Baroque decoration created in the same period.

Frequently asked questions

Who made the Triumph of Virtue over Vice statue? The original was designed by Adriaen de Vries, a Dutch sculptor active in Prague under Rudolf II. The statue standing in the garden today is an early-20th-century copy.

Where is the statue located? In the northern part of the Wallenstein Garden in Prague's Malá Strana, at a path crossing next to the Hercules fountain.

Why is there only a copy and not the original? The original de Vries sculptures were seized by Swedish troops in 1648 during the Thirty Years' War. They remain in Sweden, in a museum dedicated to the sculptor near Drottningholm Palace.

Does the statue have another name? Yes, it is also known as "Nymph and Satyr Fighting" — sources differ on which scene the sculpture actually represents.