/internal/media/dispatcher/65368/full"Character Head" No. 6Zweiter Schnabelkopf1777/1781[Franz Xaver Messerschmidt]Franz Xaver MesserschmidtAlabaster, mottled brownish stoneBy compressing and pushing forward the muscles and bones, the lower part of this face is distorted into a beak shape, yet never strays from the human form. Messerschmidt’s “character heads” are among the most fascinating works in the Belvedere’s collection. Both bizarre and bemusing, these busts made of alabaster or metal are still shrouded in mystery. Described by the artist himself simply as “head pieces,” they were only given interpretative titles after his death. There are many examples of contemporary artists engaging with this unique body of work.Sculpturehttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/4389/rdf