BENDI, GIOVANNI GIORGIO. — Sculptor and painter, born in 1630, died in Prague on May 25, 1680. By aligning his works with the taste of his time, he effectively contributed to giving a Baroque aspect to the decoration of the cities and buildings of his homeland. His principal works include: the Infant Jesus for the Church of the Holy Cross in Prague (1650), the Marian column for the Old Town (1659), and statues of saints for the Church of St. Clement in Prague. Also well-known are the two monuments to St. Wenceslas in Prague: one with the Saint atop a column adorned with vine leaves, and the other equestrian.
BIBL.: O. Pollak-Prag, s. V. in Thieme-Becker, III, pp. 303-304; Wirth Zdenek, Die teschovskalische Kunst von der Urzeit bis zur Gegenwart, Prague 1926. Miroslav Stumpf