FRANZ BARWIG the Elder
| About the artist | Schönau near Neutitschein (Bohemia) 1868 – 1931 Vienna |
| Designed by | Vienna 1908 |
| Marked | Unsigned |
| Dimensions | H 37.5 cm, W 9.4 cm, D 11 cm |
| Material | Oak, carved |
| Provenance | private property, Germany |
| Literature | M. Kristan, Joseph Urban, Vienna, 2000, p. 372; photo archives of Belvedere, Vienna; "The Studio" Yearbook of Decorative Art, 1911, p. 245 |
Very often Franz Barwig executed a scaled-down prototype of his figures in oak. It can thus be assumed that the sculpture we are showing is the prototype of one of the two idol statues designed for the exhibition marking the 60th anniversary of the reign of Emperor Francis Joseph.
The two large idol statues were given – perhaps even sold – to each of the two presidents of the Künstlervereinigung. One statue was given to Rudolf Junk and is still in a private collection in Vienna, the other was given to Joseph Urban, who took it with him to the USA in 1911. His estate is now part of the holdings of the Avery Library at Columbia University in New York/Harlem and the sculpture stands on the first floor of the library building on the university campus.
Sincere thanks Dr Fellinger of the Belvedere, Vienna, Susanne Klein-Barwig and Franz Bogner for their kind information.
M41/22