The big toe of the statue of Gregorius Nin or Grgur Ninski by Ivan Mestrovic, Split, Dalmatia, Croatia
Touching the big toe brings good luck is the belief Gregorius of Nin was a 10th Century Croatian bishop who fought for right to use old Croatian in liturgical services. Metrovic was Croatia's greatest 20th century sculptor and artist. Ivan Mestrovic was born in 1883 in the Sava valley and grew up in the village of Otavice. In 1904 he received his first major commission The Well of Life that stands outside the Croatian National Theatres in Zagreb. Mestrovic built a summer house in Split which can be visited to view his sculpture as it now is a museum of his work. Mestrovic was imprisoned in 1941 for refusing to cooperate with the Ante Pavelic regime. He had ties with the Yugoslav Committee. He accepted a professorship at Syracuse University in the United States. He received a commission from the Chicago Indians for his best known work in the United States of America. The Metropolitan Museum staged a one man show of his work. He became a US citizen in 1954 and sent 59 statues to Yugoslavia. He died in 1962 and is buried in the Church of the Holy Redeemer in Otavice.
Size: 3350px × 5035px
Photo credit: © Lee Karen Stow / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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