Bird-shaped centerpiece Franz Hagenauer ca. 1982

Stylized animal figures counted among the most popular objects created by the Werkstätte Hagenauer. In particular, the workshop conceived a number of centerpieces in the shape of birds, especially pelicans, herons, and swans. Objects such as these had a long tradition at the Werkstätte Hagenauer, with the earliest examples dating back to the 1930s.
This chased bird-shaped centerpiece can be attributed to Franz Hagenauer and displays his characteristic reduction of form. Despite its formal concentration, the piece is radiant in its playful liveliness. The exquisitely chased, carefully differentiated wings and the bird’s head and neck point diagonally upward, giving the object a cheerful, upward-striving dynamism. With its bellied shape, it also serves as a representative centerpiece, demonstrating the virtuosic combination of high-quality craftsmanship and functionality that is typical of the Werkstätte Hagenauer.