Bust of a woman “Seclin” Michael Powolny 1938

Michael Powolny was one of the most influential architects and designers of the Viennese Jugendstil. His works are exhibited in well-known museums around the world and are highly popular among collectors. Powolny was born in 1871 in Judenburg, Styria, and is considered a pioneer of Austrian ceramics at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1905, he co-founded the “Wiener Keramik” with Berthold Löffler, which formed a sales association with the Wiener Werkstätte in 1907 and merged with Franz Schleiß’s workshop in 1912 to become the “Vereinigte Wiener und Gmundner Keramik.”
The present bronze bust was likely a commissioned work by Powolny and created during the time when he was a member of the Viennese Secession and a teacher at the Vienna Women’s Academy. In his works, Powolny often drew on stylistic influences from earlier epochs, which can be clearly seen in the present bronze bust. The portrait of a woman is marked on the back of her head with “MP,” “Seclin,” and “38”. The finely detailed execution of the hairstyle, hair strands and the characteristic facial features of the portrayed woman is highly impressive and showcases his craftmanship as a masterful sculptor.