Lot 83: Hanns Gasser, Marble Bust of a Composer, 1865

This marble bust by the Austrian artist Hanns Gasser probably shows the composer Robert Volkmann (1815-1883). The latter, a close friend of Johannes Brahms and Franz Liszt, lived in Budapest and enjoyed a growing international success in the 1860s with his symphonies and compositions for string quartets.

The bust is in fair condition. There are some small notches here and there. The left ear tip is broken and missing. There is a restoration along the shoulder. The pedestal also shows touch-ups. On the back the work is monogrammed “HG” (ligated) and dated “1865”. The bust measures 69 cm in height including the pedestal.

Hanns Gasser
Hanns Gasser was born in 1817 in Kärnten as the son of a carpenter. So he too started to work as a wood carver before he went to Vienna to study at the Academy of Fine Arts. He received several awards and later became a professor at the academy. Gasser lived and worked in different cities throughout Europe but in Vienna he left many of his works in the public space, such as the allegorical sandstone figure on the facade of the Military History Museum. He was one of the most popular sculptors in Austria at the time. Gasser died on 24 April 1868 after an injury.

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