Floating God the Father

Ernst Barlach (Wedel/Holst. 1870 - Rostock 1938)

Meissen. 1922 (Design). Böttger stoneware. H. 50 x 52 x 33,5 cm. Crossed swords mark, signed E. Barlach, model number A 1070, 107, BÖTTGER STEINZEUG. Minimal signs of wear. Ernst Barlach’s collaboration with the Meissen manufactory was initiated by the art dealer Paul Cassirer. Barlach had already illustrated the theme of creation in 1921: the print 'The First Day' from the woodcut series 'The Transformation of God' is considered the direct model for the sculptural design. The fact that it was executed in Böttger stoneware rather than porcelain emphasizes the sculpture’s clear, angular lines. - German sculptor, writer and illustrator. B. studied 1888-95 at the Hamburg Kunstgewerbeschule and at the Dresden academy. He lived in Paris for two years before working as ceramicist in Hamburg, among others for the Altona manufactory Mutz. A journey to Russia became distinctive for his work. He first exhibited sculptures from Russian folk life at the Berlin secession in 1907. Subsequently he received many important public commissions. B. was very much pressurized by the Nazis, a. many of his works were seized or destroyed. Today he is appreciated as one of the most important sculptors of the 20th cent. Mus.: Hamburg (Ernst Barlach Haus), Nuremberg (Germanisches Nationalmuseum), Schwerin a. others. Lit.: Schult (cat. rais.) a. others.