Lot 51

Josef Václav Myslbek (1848 - 1922) DEVOTION

The work Devotion is J. V. Myslbek’s fourth design for the decoration of the Vienna Parliament. It depicts an elderly Roman clad in a heavy, draped toga, whose firm stance conveys strength and devotion. His hands rest lightly on his chest. The sculpture belongs to the realist period of Myslbek’s work. In Devotion (1880–1884), as in other works such as Humanity and Cardinal Schwarzenberg, he applies the principles of classical harmony. This is an exceptional variant of this work in this size, which appears on the market only very rarely. The cast was made by the renowned artistic foundryman Václav Mašek—founder and owner of the first artistic foundry in Prague-Karlín. Signed on the plinth: V. MAŠEK. Dimensions include the marble base, which is 4.5 cm high.