Lot 63

Bohumil Kafka (1878 - 1942) EMPRESS ELISABETH

In 1902, Kafka decided to take part in a competition for the realization of a monument dedicated to Empress Elisabeth of Bavaria, as evidenced by the author's text: 'I have been working since mid-November on a competition for a monument to Empress Elisabeth for Vienna. I expect around 60 proposals to come together for Vienna. I am 60 times more certain of passing than winning. Among the Czech artists competing are Myslbek, Sucharda, myself, Kalvoda, Kvasnička, Šaloun, Rous, Říha, Halman. The first prize is 5,000 gold, and when I get it, you will know what a banquet is." (1903) It was above all the tragic fate of the popular empress called Sisi that attracted so many people interested in the realization, after all, a monument dedicated to a woman was not a frequent commission at that time. Kafka chose a figure in a rich fashionable dress and an intimate gesture of the right hand lightly touching the cheek. In the sketch, the figure was also accompanied by allegories of virtues - Peace, Justice, Resolve and Wisdom. Kafka also sculpted a metre-long figure of the Empress herself as a detail of the entire competition design. The competition for the monument was eventually won by the Austrian artists Friedrich Ohmann and Hans Bitterlich. The offered sculpture comes from the estate of the artist.