A GERMAN CARRARA MARBLE FIGURE OF CUPID SHARPENING HIS ARROW, ON 'BRECHE VIOLETTE' MARBLE PEDESTAL

Emil Alexander Hopfgarten (1821-1856) was a pupil of Ludwig Wichmann (1788-1859) at the Berliner Akademie der Künste. From 1840 until 1844 he stayed in Rome where he shared a workshop with Emil Wolff (1802-1879). His craftsmanship was awarded by the last Duke of Nassau, Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (1817-1905). Hopfgarten executed the sarcophagus of Elizabeth Mikhailovna, Grand Duchess of Russia (1826-1845) who married Adolf in 1844 in St Petersburg. Elizabeth, niece of both Russian emperors Alexander I and Nicholas I, died giving birth to a daughter. Duke Adolf of Nassau ordered the construction of a memorial church, the St. Elizabeth's Church in Neropark in Wiesbaden which was built from 1849 to 1855, to house the tomb of his deceased wife. The sarcophagus by Hopfgarten is in this church till today.
The 'Marktkirche' Market Church, a Neogothic basilica erected from 1853 to 1862, houses a large group of statues of Christ and the Four Evangelist. This donation by Duke Adolf was also executed by Hopfgarten.