An old song is a small, fine bronze sculpture, which was placed in October 1962 on the playground of the then Eduard van Beinumschool. Since 2014, the statue has stood at the entrance of the Catholic St. Michael School. The sculpture is a figurative work made by sculptor Loeki Metz. The sculpture has a mantle shape, depicting 'an old song', a song that was first published in 1544 in an Antwerp songbook. It is a late medieval dawn song about a woman who is told that a suitor has killed her secret lover. The girl puts on her cloak (symbol of dignity and status) and finds her lover dead under a green linden tree (tree of love). Nobody wants to help her bury her dead lover. She buries him with her own hands and then enters a monastery. On the front of the plastic the girl is depicted with her arms folded. On the back the dead lover (knight and horse) is depicted under the lime tree. The fourteen stanzas of the song are placed on the sides. Seven stanzas of four lines each on each side. The text starts with 'It dawned to the east. It lights everywhere'.
Louise Estelle Julie, or Loeki Metz (Amsterdam, 1918 - Rotterdam, 2004) was a sculptor and medalist. She mainly worked with bronze, wood and silver and made project art and idea art. Her style was impressionistic and figurative. She was friends with Mari Andriessen and spent a long time in Amsterdam, The Hague, Paris and Rotterdam. Her education was at the Rijksacademie in Amsterdam. Metz is best known for its reliefs and tokens.
Oval-shaped plastic of woman in cloak with text reliefs
Materials
Bronze
Dimensions
Height 1.30 m
Year
1962
Client
Municipality of Rotterdam (Education)
Recruitment
Project architect ir. J. Koops
Money source
Percentage regulation, involved construction assignment
Owner
Property owner
About the artwork
An old song is a small, fine bronze sculpture, which was placed in October 1962 on the playground of the then Eduard van Beinumschool. Since 2014, the statue has stood at the entrance of the Catholic St. Michael School. The sculpture is a figurative work made by sculptor Loeki Metz. The sculpture has a mantle shape, depicting 'an old song', a song that was first published in 1544 in an Antwerp songbook. It is a late medieval dawn song about a woman who is told that a suitor has killed her secret lover. The girl puts on her cloak (symbol of dignity and status) and finds her lover dead under a green linden tree (tree of love). Nobody wants to help her bury her dead lover. She buries him with her own hands and then enters a monastery. On the front of the plastic the girl is depicted with her arms folded. On the back the dead lover (knight and horse) is depicted under the lime tree. The fourteen stanzas of the song are placed on the sides. Seven stanzas of four lines each on each side. The text starts with 'It dawned to the east. It lights everywhere'.
Louise Estelle Julie, or Loeki Metz (Amsterdam, 1918 - Rotterdam, 2004) was a sculptor and medalist. She mainly worked with bronze, wood and silver and made project art and idea art. Her style was impressionistic and figurative. She was friends with Mari Andriessen and spent a long time in Amsterdam, The Hague, Paris and Rotterdam. Her education was at the Rijksacademie in Amsterdam. Metz is best known for its reliefs and tokens.
