Galopping horse Karl Hagenauer ca. 1930

Equestrian figures held a special place in the Werkstätte Hagenauer and were executed in a variety of materials, including metal and wood. The finely modelled yet naturalistically observed bodies of the horses are conceived as compelling studies in motion: galloping and rearing forms are captured in moments of heightened tension and vitality.
Characteristic of works produced around 1935 is a reduced, clearly defined formal language that lends the figures a sense of timeless modernity. The Hagenauer brothers masterfully succeed in translating the dynamism of movement into a sculptural condensation, without any loss of expressive power. The use of patinated brass, referred to within the Werkstätte Hagenauer as “natural bronze”, further enhances the sculpture’s refined and elegant presence.