MEPHISTOPHELES

The idea of Mephistopheles occurred to Antokolsky as early as 1874, when he was at work on Ecce Homo (Christ presented to the people). The artist was drawn to Goethe's Mephistopheles as the embodiment of the spirit of denial and doubt, the spirit of criticism and scepticism, in complete opposition to Christ. In 1876, as a study for a full-scale work, Antokolsky produced a bust of Mephistopheles modelled atop an open book lying face down, which is comparable to the present lot. A version of this bust, dated 1883, is part of the collection of the State Tretyakov Gallery, see E.V. Kuznetsova, M.M. Antokolsky Life and Work, Moscow, 1989, pp. 140-141.