27/internal/media/dispatcher/65371/full"Character Head" No. 21964[Franz Xaver Messerschmidt]Franz Xaver MesserschmidtPlaster castSculpturehttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/4417/rdf/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/13324/full"Character Head" No. 19possibly early 20th century[Franz Xaver Messerschmidt]Franz Xaver MesserschmidtPlaster castSculpturehttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/10731/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/65360/full"Character Head" No. 271777/1783 (?)[Franz Xaver Messerschmidt]Franz Xaver MesserschmidtBrown-patinated alabasterSculpturehttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/4385/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/65347/full"Character Head" No. 371777/1783[Franz Xaver Messerschmidt]Franz Xaver MesserschmidtLight-gray flecked alabasterSculpturehttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/8084/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/5817/fullVariation of "Character Head" No. 221777/1783[Franz Xaver Messerschmidt]Franz Xaver MesserschmidtLead alloy (58.5% lead, 40.4% tin)Sculpturehttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/8413/rdf/internal/media/dispatcher/65356/full"Character Head" No. 101775/1777[Franz Xaver Messerschmidt]Franz Xaver MesserschmidtTin cast (99.0% tin) Forehead furrowed, eyebrows drawn together, eyes wide open, their pupils blank: in this bust made of almost pure tin, Franz Xaver Messerschmidt renders extreme expressions of the human face with great skill, yet it remains unclear what he intended to convey. The “Character Heads,” a series he developed without a formal commission, have inspired countless interpretations, and the busts have often been given misleading titles. Some readings even attempt to draw speculative conclusions about the sculptor’s life and personality from the works themselves. Messerschmidt may have conceived this series in response to the idealized neoclassical portraits of the era, which avoided any kind of exaggerated expression.Sculpturehttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/1995/rdf/internal/media/dispatcher/65362/full"Character Head" No. 251771/1783[Franz Xaver Messerschmidt]Franz Xaver MesserschmidtAlabaster, grey white stone with brownish spots First published in 1793, "The Peculiar Life History of F. X. Messerschmidt", describes this bust as “Ein Erhängter” (A hanged man). Despite the rope around his neck, the figure depicted seems far from lifeless. Messerschmidt may be alluding to the controversial methods of his contemporary, Franz Anton Mesmer, a physician and healer who was personally acquainted with the sculptor. In Paris, Mesmer treated patients with “nervous disorders” using so-called baquets—wooden tubs filled with “magnetized water” from which iron rods and ropes protruded. Patients applied these to specific parts of the body to relieve their symptoms. Messerschmidt may have learned of such treatments in Pressburg/Bratislava through printed accounts.Sculpturehttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/4386/rdf/internal/media/dispatcher/65364/full"Character Head" No. 151771/1783[Franz Xaver Messerschmidt]Franz Xaver MesserschmidtAlabaster, mottled brownish-grey stone With its squinted eyes, scrunched-up nose, and tightly pressed lips, this head resembles other works in the “Character Heads” series. Unlike the bald “Character Head” No. 25 (inv. no. 5637), however, this figure has thick, curly hair. A closer look at the forehead suggests that this may in fact be a wig, with the figure’s own hair peeking out beneath it. Although Messerschmidt likely based the works he called “headpieces” on his own facial features, they should not be understood as self-portraits.Sculpturehttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/4387/rdf/internal/media/dispatcher/65341/full"Character Head" No. 111771/1783[Franz Xaver Messerschmidt]Franz Xaver MesserschmidtYellowish alabaster With the lower lip everted, the chin pushed forward, and the eyes—wide open and without pupils—the expression of this bust by Franz Xaver Messerschmidt remains a puzzle. Beginning in the late 1770s, the sculptor worked on a series of portrait busts with a rich range of facial expressions. This work is one of ten alabaster “Character Heads.” They were acquired in the late nineteenth century, at the initiative of the architect Camillo Sitte, as teaching aids for the Vienna State School of Applied Arts. The group later entered the Imperial and Royal Austrian Museum of Art and Industry (today the MAK—Museum of Applied Arts) before being transferred to the Austrian Gallery Belvedere in two installments, in 1922 and 1964.Sculpturehttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/8082/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/65354/full"Character Head" No. 221771/1775[Franz Xaver Messerschmidt]Franz Xaver MesserschmidtTin alloy (51.7% tin, 47.6% lead)Sculpturehttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/8412/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/internal/media/dispatcher/65403/fullGerard van Swieten1769[Franz Xaver Messerschmidt]Franz Xaver MesserschmidtTin-lead alloy, gildedSculpturehttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/8815/rdf/internal/media/dispatcher/79724/fullEmperor Francis I of Lorraine1765-1766[Franz Xaver Messerschmidt]Franz Xaver MesserschmidtTin cast (94.6% tin, 5.2% copper) The commission to create two statues of the imperial couple was probably the most important in Franz Xaver Messerschmidt’s career. Their presentation was widely reported in the press. Messerschmidt shows Maria Theresa as a young woman with Hungarian costume and the royal regalia, which he represented imaginatively rather than accurately. On her chest she wears a medallion with a portrait of her husband, Emperor Francis Stephen I, and the jewel of the Order of the Golden Fleece, otherwise reserved exclusively for men. The two statues were first transferred from the Hofburg to the Belvedere in 1773. Following several further moves, they have been permanently located at the Belvedere since 1921.Sculpturehttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/8040/rdf/internal/media/dispatcher/79717/fullMaria Theresa as Queen of Hungary1764/1766[Franz Xaver Messerschmidt]Franz Xaver MesserschmidtTin alloy (79.4% tin, 18.9% copper) The commission to create two statues of the imperial couple was probably the most important in Franz Xaver Messerschmidt’s career. Their presentation was widely reported in the press. Messerschmidt shows Maria Theresa as a young woman with Hungarian costume and the royal regalia, which he represented imaginatively rather than accurately. On her chest she wears a medallion with a portrait of her husband, Emperor Francis Stephen I, and the jewel of the Order of the Golden Fleece, otherwise reserved exclusively for men. The two statues were first transferred from the Hofburg to the Belvedere in 1773. Following several further moves, they have been permanently located at the Belvedere since 1921.Sculpturehttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/8039/rdf/internal/media/dispatcher/10730/fullJoseph II as Archduke1760/1763[Franz Xaver Messerschmidt]Franz Xaver MesserschmidtBronzeAuf dem ovalen Relief sieht man das Brustbild des jungen Thronfolgers im Profil nach rechts, mit langem Büstenausschitt, der den unteren Teil des Rahmens überschneidet. Der Erzherzog trägt eine reiche Perücke mit einer Schlaufe und am Körper einen Brustharnisch, über den ein Hermelinmantel umgehängt ist, der vorne mit einer Spange zusammengehalten wird. Darunter sieht man das Kleinod mit dem Goldenen Vlies, und oberhalb, unter dem gekräuseltem Hemd als Apotropaion einen Satyrkopf. Wann genau das Werk und sein Gegenstück entstanden sind, ist nicht bekannt, mann kann sie aber in die Jahre der ersten Ehe Josephs II. mit Maria Isabella von Parma, also zwischen 1760 und 1763 datieren. Nach der Beschreibung von Fr. von Leber aus dem Jahre 1846 und der erhaltenen Aquarellzeichnung aus dem Beginn des 19. Jahrhunderts befand sich das Denkmal mit diesem Reliefbildnis im Waffensaal zwischen zwei Doppelsäulen, die aus Gewehrlaufen gebildet waren, in einer flachen Nische, die ganz mit Fahnen und Gewehren ausgefüllt war. Vor diesen stand in der Mitte eine schlanke Pyramide aus Schwertklingen und zu ihrer Seite zwei Figurinen in Harnischen. Diese hoben das Brustbild des zukünftigen Herrschers in die Höhe, um es auf der Pyramide zu befestigen. Über dem Relief schwebte an der rechten Seite eine vergoldete Fama mit einer Tuba in erhobener Hand, an der linken ein ebenfalls vergoldetes Putto, das in den Händen ein Polster mit dem Erzherzogshut hielt. Außer diesem Relief und seinem Pendant (siehe Kat. Nr. 5) die an der Wand aufgestellt waren, befand sich in der Mitte des Saales ein gekröntes goldenes Brustbild des Rudolf von Habsburg, mit der Inschrift INSTAURATOR DOMUS AUSTRIAE, Auf den Wänden hingen gemalte Bildnisse von sechs Habsburger-Herrschern, von Friedrich IV. bis Ferdinand IV. und eine Reihe von Harnischen und Trophäen. Bisher ist nicht bekannt, wie weit sich Messerschmidt außer den beiden Reliefbildnissen auch an der weiteren bildnerischen Ausschmückung des Raumes beteilig hatte. Nicht nur die Fama und das Putto vom Denkmal Josephs II. sind seit der Demolierung des Zeughauses nicht auffindbar, verschollen ist auch die Büste Rudolfs von Habsburg, über die man nichts Näheres weiß. Diese frühe denkmalhafte Aufstellung eines Bildnisses Josephs II. in einem so prominenten und bekannten Gebäude, wie es das kaiserliche Zeughaus war, hat erstaunlicherweise in den zeitgenössischen Publikationen wenig Echo gefunden. Obwohl das Reliefbildnis eine schwer zu übersehende Signatur Messerschmidts trägt, war es auch lange nicht als ein Werk dieses Künstlers bekannt. Es fehlt sogar in seinem ersten Oeuvre-Verzeichnis das 1885 Albert Ilg zusammengestellt hatte. Erst 1891 erscheint es als ein Werk Messerschmidts anlässlich seiner ersten musealen Ausstellung im Kunsthistorischen Museum in einem knappen Führer, den Albert Ilg verfasst hat. — [Mária Pötzl-Malíková, 2014].Sculpturehttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/3014/rdf/internal/media/dispatcher/10731/fullMaria Isabella of Parma1760/1763[Franz Xaver Messerschmidt]Franz Xaver MesserschmidtBronzeDas Relief zeigt das etwa lebensgroße Brustbild der ersten Frau Josephs II., im Profil nach rechts, mit Lockenperücke und kleinem Diadem. Auf dem langen Büstenabschnitt sieht man ein tief ausgeschnittenes Brokatkleid, das mit Juwelen und Spitzen geschmückt ist. Den Körper umhüllt ein mit Hermelin gefütterter Brokatmantel, der mit seinen großen Falten bis über den Rahmen hängt. Das Relief befand sich zusammen mit seinem Gegenstück, in der sog. „Waffenhalle“ des kaiserlichen Zeughauses und war nach Fr. von Leber genauso aufgestellt wie dieses. Auch hier hoben zwei geharnischte Figuren das Bildnis in die Höhe, um es auf eine schlanke Pyramide, die zwischen Säulen stand, aufzuhängen. Wahrscheinlich schwebten über diesem Relief ebenfalls die vergoldeten Gestalten einer Fama und eines Putto. Ein Bild von dieser denkmalhaften Aufstellung hat sich nicht erhalten, man kann aber annehmen, dass das Bildnisrelief ebenfalls von Gewehren und Fahnen umgeben war. Der Grund, warum das Porträt der jungen Prinzessin hier aufgestellt wurde, hing vordergründig wohl mit dem genealogischen Thema des Saales zusammen. Der für den Auftraggeber, Fürst Joseph Wenzel I. von Liechtenstein aber wesentlichere Grund für diese ungewöhnliche Aufstellung war sicher die Rolle, die er bei der Vermählung des Thronfolgers mit einer Bourbonin gespielt hatte – er war der Brautwerber, der mit großer Pracht die Prinzessin aus Parma nach Wien geholt hatte. Auf diesen wohl wirklichen Beweggrund des Fürsten ist in der Literatur oft hingewiesen worden. Gleich seinem Pendant, dem Bildnisrelief Josephs II. ist auch dieses Werk wenig in das öffentliche Bewusstsein getreten. Trotzdem es signiert ist, wurde es erst Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts, seit seiner Ausstellung im Kunsthistorischen Museum als ein Werk Messerschmidts erkannt. — [Mária Pötzl-Malíková, 2014].Sculpturehttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/3015/rdf/internal/media/dispatcher/5270/fullFrancis I Stephenc. 1760[Franz Xaver Messerschmidt]Franz Xaver MesserschmidtBronze, gildedAt the very start of his career, Franz Xaver Messerschmidt was awarded a prestigious job: Prince Joseph Wenzel I. of Liechtenstein entrusted a commission for busts of the imperial couple to the up-and-coming sculptor. This was to show his gratitude to Maria Theresa after she had commissioned a bust of the prince from sculptor Balthasar Ferdinand Moll as a tribute to Liechtenstein’s services as a field marshal. Messerschmidt’s bronze portraits of the monarch and her consort, Francis Stephen I, appear both dignified and full of life. They were placed on display, together with Moll’s bust of the prince, in the Emperor’s Hall of the Imperial-Royal Armory, as historical watercolors document. These stores for the imperial weapons’ collection in the center of Vienna were demolished in the 1860s.Sculpturehttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/3005/rdf/internal/media/dispatcher/5278/fullMaria Theresac. 1760[Franz Xaver Messerschmidt]Franz Xaver MesserschmidtBronze, gildedAt the very start of his career, Franz Xaver Messerschmidt was awarded a prestigious job: Prince Joseph Wenzel I. of Liechtenstein entrusted a commission for busts of the imperial couple to the up-and-coming sculptor. This was to show his gratitude to Maria Theresa after she had commissioned a bust of the prince from sculptor Balthasar Ferdinand Moll as a tribute to Liechtenstein’s services as a field marshal. Messerschmidt’s bronze portraits of the monarch and her consort, Francis Stephen I, appear both dignified and full of life. They were placed on display, together with Moll’s bust of the prince, in the Emperor’s Hall of the Imperial-Royal Armory, as historical watercolors document. These stores for the imperial weapons’ collection in the center of Vienna were demolished in the 1860s.Sculpturehttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/3035/rdf