$6,250
bronze with medium brown and green patina height: 24. 5 cm (9 5/8 in.) inscribed on back of base : Following the glowing acclaim of Mark Antokolsky s marble sculpture which entered the collection of the Hermitage Museum in 1886, a mere three years after its completion, the artist produced bronze versions of the figure s bust to capitalize on the project s success. At the onset, Antokolsky turned to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's for inspiration for the figure, which he referred to as the equally powerful counterpoint to his earlier sculpture of Lacking clothing or any identifiable characteristics tying him to a particular period or place, the artist nevertheless epitomized the demon of the modern age. In an 1883 letter to E. G. Mamontova, Antokolsky wrote:
Auctioneer:
Shapiro Auctions
Date:
2015-05-16