Next to the main entrance on the south side of the Zeughaus, which opens onto the boulevard Unter den Linden, are four larger-than-life sculptures: two female figures on the left, and two on the right. These are allegorical figures, each with a putto at her side. Allegory is an art form that has been in existence since antiquity. The figures illustrate abstract concepts and display their attributes.
On the left side of the Zeughaus entrance is an allegory of engineering, represented by pliers; and an allegory of geometry, represented by a protractor. On the right is an allegory of arithmetic, the so-called art of counting. An inquisitive putto on a pile of books, and the female figure is holding a tablet with calculations on it. An allegory of pyrotechnics carries a rocket and a pinwheel. These four allegories refer to the four areas of knowledge that were important to artillery in the 17th century. Mathematical knowledge was required, for instance, to calculate a cannonball’s trajectory. The choice of allegorical figures results from the Zeughaus’ function. The Prussian army’s cannon were stored on the ground floor. Incidentally, the sculptures are not originals; they are copies from the late 1960s.
