Statue of Imperia in Konstanz, Germany by Patricia Hofmeester

Imperia, statue by Peter Lenk, Konstanz, Lake Constance, Baden-Württemberg Imperia is a statue at the entrance to the harbour of Konstanz, Germany, commemorating the Council of Constance which took place there between 1414 and 1418. The concrete statue is 9 metres high, weighs 18 tonnes and stands on a pedestal that rotates once every four minutes. The Imperia statue is a satirical representation of the Council of Constance (1414–1418), an important ecclesiastical gathering aimed at resolving the papal schism. The statue depicts a voluptuous courtesan with a seductive air, emphasised by her plunging neckline and a cloak held together only by a belt. In her raised hands, she holds two small, naked men. The figure in her right hand wears a royal crown and holds the imperial orb, whilst the figure in her left hand wears a papal tiara and sits with her legs crossed. These figures are often seen as caricatures of the secular and ecclesiastical powers, possibly Emperor Sigismund and Pope Martin V, or, in a broader sense, the secular and ecclesiastical authorities of the time.

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