11. St. John the Baptist [1914.]

Ivan Meštrović is one of the most significant sculptors of the first half of the 20th century and the most famous Croatian artist of his time. He grew up in Dalmatian hinterland, and he began to engage in sculpture early on, showing exceptional talent that led him to enroll at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts. Even during his student days, he stood out for his originality and strong sense for monumental form. After studying at the Vienna Academy and his first international successes, he asserted himself as one of the most important sculptors of European modernism. He participated in the Venice Biennale in 1911, where his works aroused great interest, and then lived and created in Rome, Paris and London. Through his life and work, his reputation extends far beyond European borders. His biography and artistic expression are inseparably linked to turbulent historical events - from the First World War, when he was also politically active, to his later emigration after the Second World War. He settled in the USA towards the end of his life, where he taught at the University of Notre Dame and left behind a massive sculptural heritage that is now preserved in numerous museums and public spaces. During the first decades of the 20th century, he shaped his most famous cycles of monumental works, such as the "Vidovdan Temple", in which he combines national motives with modernist form. Meštrović's sculpture from this period is characterized by strong pathos, emphasised spirituality and expressive gestics. His works combine elements of secession, symbolism and expressionism, with the figure taking on a universal significance and a strong emotional charge. A significant part of Meštrović's opus consists of works of sacral thematics. In the early 1910s, a series of sculptures with the theme of saints was created, such as the head of Jesus Christ or the offered plaster of John the Baptist, in which the expressionist spirit is clearly manifested. The offered head of John the Baptist was created in 1914 and comes from the not-too-small collection of Meštrović's works owned by the Signorelli family in Rome. This interesting collection includes over 40 works and was a gift from the sculptor to his long-time friends, documented in an article by Vesna Barbić. The ascetic face of John the Baptist exudes dramatic strength, highlighted contrasts and inner tension, while the roughly modeled facial surfaces reflect intense spiritual turmoil. Expressive sculptures demonstrate Meštrović's virtuosity in expressing universal human feelings through religious motives.

References

Vesna Barbić, "Meštrović in Rome, Signorelli Collection", Zagreb, 1985. Ivana Grabić, Saints in the Artistic Oeuvre of Ivan Meštrović, 2023.

Dimensions

depth 16 cm, width 21 cm, height 60 cm

Description

patinated plaster and wax, signed below side, engraved, ''MEŠTROVIĆ''

Research information

The work is listed and reproduced in "Meštrović in Rome, Signorelli Collection", Vesna Barbić, Zagreb, 1985, under the title "St. John the Baptist (head)", cat. no. 14, reproduction on pp. 54–55. Three bronze casts are known: one in a private collection in Belgrade, another in the Meštrović Atelier in Zagreb (inventory no. 139), and the third in the Ivan Meštrović Museum in Split (inventory no. 630).

Dating

1914.

PROVENANCE

Private collection, Italy; directly from the author, until the 1980s, part of the historic Signorelli collection in Rome. The family of Angelo and Olga Signorelli was one of the important cultural focal points in Rome in the first half of the 20th century. Angelo Signorelli, a prominent Roman doctor, and his wife Olga, a doctor and writer of Russian origin, gathered numerous artists, intellectuals and public figures in their home. Their cultural salon was a meeting place for the European artistic and intellectual elite, among the long-time friends of the family was Ivan Meštrović. Thanks to this friendship, a significant number of his works were found in the Signorelli collection. Their daughter Maria Signorelli, later known as an artist and collector, also grew up in such an atmosphere.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

For clarifications regarding the bidding procedure, hammer price costs, guarantee, payment, and collection terms for the winning lot, we recommend carefully reading/re-reading the Bidding Regulations.

For additional information regarding the lot and the auction, please contact the Art Consultants Department.