10/internal/media/dispatcher/65385/full"Character Head" No. 20possibly early 20th century[Franz Xaver Messerschmidt]Franz Xaver MesserschmidtPlaster castSculpturehttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/10707/rdf/internal/media/dispatcher/13325/full"Character Head" No. 38possibly early 20th century[Franz Xaver Messerschmidt]Franz Xaver MesserschmidtPlaster cast, matte blackSculpturehttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/11440/rdf/internal/media/dispatcher/65358/full"Character Head" No. 171777/1783[Franz Xaver Messerschmidt]Franz Xaver MesserschmidtBrown-flecked alabasterAt first glance, Franz Xaver Messerschmidt’s “Character Heads” resemble the study models used in the academic art training of his day to demonstrate different facial expressions. But these busts, made from high-quality materials such as alabaster and metal, are works of art in their own right, created by the sculptor on his own initiative beginning in the 1770s. In them, he presents a wide range of human expressions, some of which are less than flattering, as in this head, with its eyes wide open and brow deeply furrowed. Messerschmidt’s faces, pushed to extremes, are anything but academic and, with their unusual humor, perhaps challenge the severity of neoclassical ideals.Sculpturehttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/4260/rdf/internal/media/dispatcher/65366/full"Character Head" No. 351777/1783[Franz Xaver Messerschmidt]Franz Xaver MesserschmidtAlabaster, brown-flecked stoneSculpturehttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/4388/rdf/internal/media/dispatcher/65368/full"Character Head" No. 61777/1781[Franz Xaver Messerschmidt]Franz Xaver MesserschmidtAlabaster, mottled brownish stone Some of Franz Xaver Messerschmidt’s “Character Heads” appear realistic and evoke familiar emotions. Others are clearly distorted, even grotesquely contorted. The most radical case is this head: the lower part of the face has been shaped into something like a pointed beak. The work is made of alabaster, a gypsum stone similar to marble that can be carved with great precision and easily polished. It is still unclear what motivated Messerschmidt to create these objects, so unusual for their time. Their fascination, however, is beyond doubt. Artists have repeatedly found in them a source of inspiration for their own work.Sculpturehttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/4389/rdf/internal/media/dispatcher/65344/full"Character Head" No. 321777/1783 (?)[Franz Xaver Messerschmidt]Franz Xaver MesserschmidtWhite, brown-flecked alabaster Franz Xaver Messerschmidt’s posthumous popularity rests largely on his “Character Heads,” known for their extremely distorted facial features. Alongside these, however, is a group of busts whose expressions appear calm and composed, aligning them more closely with the classicizing portraiture of the period. The present alabaster work belongs to this group: it depicts a man with largely relaxed features. Only the eyebrows are drawn together, suggesting a concentrated gaze, though it remains unclear where it is directed.Sculpturehttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/8083/rdf/internal/media/dispatcher/10719/full"Character Head" No. 481777/1783[Franz Xaver Messerschmidt]Franz Xaver MesserschmidtLime wood under a layer of wax Among the known “Character Heads” by Franz Xaver Messerschmidt, this is the only one not made of metal or alabaster but carved in linden wood and finished with a wax coating. Messerschmidt was already esteemed by his contemporaries as a skilled woodcarver, likely owing to his training with his uncle, the Munich-based sculptor Johann Baptist Straub. This depiction of a smiling man was presumably a preparatory study for another piece rather than an independent work, though this remains unclear, as no comparable works are known and his working process is poorly understood.Sculpturehttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/8086/rdf/internal/media/dispatcher/65352/full"Character Head" No. 331777/1783[Franz Xaver Messerschmidt]Franz Xaver MesserschmidtTin alloy (79.9% tin, 18.8% lead) In this portrait bust, with the head is pressed against the chest, the eyes narrowed, the nose wrinkled, and the lips clenched, Franz Xaver Messerschmidt seems to seek an appropriate expression for intense inner states. It is one of three busts that the Viennese auction house Albert Kende acquired for the Belvedere in 1923 and 1927, thereby expanding the collection’s holdings of “Character Heads” cast in metal alloys. Messerschmidt primarily used tin and lead in varying proportions; here, for instance, 79.9 percent tin and 18.8 percent lead.Sculpturehttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/8242/rdf/internal/media/dispatcher/65348/full"Character Head" No. 401771/1783[Franz Xaver Messerschmidt]Franz Xaver MesserschmidtWhite mottled alabasterSculpturehttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/8085/rdf/internal/media/dispatcher/118276/full"Character Head" No. 341770/1783[Franz Xaver Messerschmidt]Franz Xaver MesserschmidtLead alloy (58.8% lead, 40.4% tin) This bust represents the first of Franz Xaver Messerschmidt’s so-called “Character Heads” to enter the Belvedere’s collection, in 1915. Although the series—numbering at least fifty-five works in various metal alloys and alabaster—is now commonly known by this title, the designation has been in use only since 1805. Messerschmidt himself referred to them simply as “Kopfstücke” (head pieces). Across the series, the sculptor explores a wide range of facial expressions and grimaces, likely based on his own features. Several of the busts push these expressions to extremes, including the present example, with its tightly squinting eyes and firmly pressed lips.Sculpturehttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/792/rdf