Description & Technical information

Very often Franz Barwig made small-scale prototypes of his figures in oak. For that reason it can be assumed that the sculpture we are exhibiting is the prototype for one of the two statues to the gods designed for the Emperor’s Anniversary Exhibition.

The two statutes to the gods were presented – perhaps even sold – to each of the two presidents of the Künstlervereinigung. 

We would like to thank Dr. Fellinger of the Belvedere, Vienna, for the documentation made available to us and also Mrs Susanne Klein-Barwig (Franz Barwig’s granddaughter) and Mr Franz Bogner for their helpful information.

Origin:  Vienna
Medium: Oak, carved
Dimensions: 47.5 x 9.4 x 11 cm (18³/₄ x 3³/₄ x 4³/₈ inches)
Provenance: One statue went to Rudolf Junk and is still in a private collection in Vienna, the other went to Joseph Urban who took it with him when he went to the U. S. in 1911. His estate is now part of the holdings of the Avery Library at Columbia University in New York/Harlem. It is there, on the first floor of the library building on the university campus, that the statue now stands. 

Literature: Ref.: M. Kristan, Joseph Urban, Vienna, 2000, p. 372; photo archives of Belvedere, Vienna; "The Studio" Yearbook of Decorative Art, 1911, p. 245
Categories: Decorative Arts & Design, Sculpture