Pharmacy Symbol

Jozef Barinka / 1981

During renovation of the corner apartment building, the pharmacy on the ground floor was refurbished. The works involved renovating the interior, and redesigning the corner and entrance portal. Embellishment of the pharmacy entrance was entrusted to J. Barinka.  

The artist carved a recessed (negative) relief into the travertine cladding above the entrance that depicts the symbol of pharmacy (a snake coiled around a bowl). He also carved the inscription PHARMACY in large block letters along the sides of the corner building, one facing the lower part of SNP Square, and one facing Laurinská Street (then Leningradská Street).  

From today’s perspective, it is surprising that even proposals for signage and typography on buildings were subject to the approval processes of a professional art commission, and that renowned artists worked on these commissions – always taking into account the historical and cultural significance of the surroundings in which the work was to be installed. 

NB

Research status as of  04. 03. 2024.


Authorship

Co-authorship


Years

  • 1981 – implementation

Type

Material

travertine

Technique

carving, cutting, tiling

Dimensions

pharmacy symbol 130 x 120 cm; lettering 65 x 65 cm

Inscription

J. BARINKA 1981

Condition

  • preserved, not maintained
Recessed relief and travertine covered with dirt.

Registration

  • Located in Monument Zone Central Urban Area, Bratislava.

Owner

  • unidentified

Administrator

  • unidentified

Address

Nám. SNP 20

Location details

above the entrance

Plot number

102

GPS

48.1441610, 17.1126580

Other works in the area

Drama and Ballet

František Draškovič 1953

Lawrence Gate

Bogár Králik Urban, Architecture and Design Studio 1998 – 1999

Memorial to Bratislava Kyiv Solidarity

Ambróz Balážik, Rastislav Miklánek 1979 – 1982

Drinking Fountain on Velvet Revolution Square

Alexander Bilkovič 1988