Franz von Stuck (German, 1863-1928)

In addition to his celebrated paintings, Franz von Stuck executed a number of sculptures during his career including the present relief portrait of the famed composer Ludwig van Beethoven. In his creation of the present model, Von Stuck was purportedly inspired by the mask cast from the composer’s face in 1812. Von Stuck’s original version of this relief was conceived as part of an elaborate design for the music room in his villa outside Munich and, with its dynamic form and arresting palette, remains one of his most unusual and compelling works. A nearly identical relief is in the collections of the Musée d’Orsay in Paris (RF 4398).