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A Hypochondriac
Franz Xaver Messerschmidt (Austrian, 1736–1783)
Austrian
about 1775-80
Object Place: Europe, Austria
Medium/Technique
Lead
Dimensions
Overall: 42.6 x 25 x 23 cm (16 3/4 x 9 13/16 x 9 1/16 in.)
Credit Line
William E. Nickerson Fund, No. 2
Accession Number57.117
CollectionsEurope
ClassificationsSculpture
Late in his life, Messerschmidt devoted himself to a series of forty-nine sculptures known as "Character Heads." In this series, he studied his features in a mirror and represented them in various grimacing, pinched, or smiling expressions. Linked to the interest in physiognomy current in the later eighteenth century, the Character Heads also indicate Messerschmidt's fragile psychological state. Head of a Hypochondriac is marked on the base as number 36 in the series.
DescriptionHead of grimacing bald man from square block with incised numeral 36.
Provenance1793, exhibited in Vienna [see note 1]. 1956, Johannes Jantzen, Bad Homburg, Germany; 1957, sold by Jantzen through Ernst E. Kofler, Lucerne, to the MFA for $2,880. (Accession Date: February 14, 1957)
NOTES:
[1] After Messerschmidt's death in 1783, a series of "character heads" were discovered in his studio. Of the 69 found, 49 were exhibited in Vienna in 1793. See "Wiener Zeitung" 89 (November 6, 1793), 5. The MFA bust is the original "Hypochondriac" (36th in the series).
NOTES:
[1] After Messerschmidt's death in 1783, a series of "character heads" were discovered in his studio. Of the 69 found, 49 were exhibited in Vienna in 1793. See "Wiener Zeitung" 89 (November 6, 1793), 5. The MFA bust is the original "Hypochondriac" (36th in the series).