Tellervo, Tapion tytär (Diana) / Tellervo, Tapios daughter

In 1928, the sculptor Yrjö Liipola (1881-1971) offered a bronze sculpture of Diana to the City of Helsinki. The City bought the work but when it was brought to Finland a year later from Hungary, where Liipola lived at the time, Liipola had titled it ‘Tellervo, daughter of Tapio’ (Tapio is the god of the forest and the protector of cattle in Finnish mythology). Since then, the work has carried the two names. The park in which the work is placed is commonly known as the Diana park, although its official name is Kolmikulma (triangle) park.

The piece was unveiled in 1929 and it quickly became one of the most popular sculptures in Helsinki. One of the signs of affection for Tellervo is that her spear is often either removed or bent and has to be replaced. The work itself has not, however, suffered any major damage. Yrjö Liipola was an admirer of Renaissance art and the sculptures of Auguste Rodin (1840-1917). His personal style remained realistic, fine-tuned by the Classicism of the early years of this century, as is evidenced by ‘Tellervo’.

The work belongs to the City of Helsinki’s art collection, which is managed and curated by HAM.