Woman’s bust Werkstatte Hagenauer ca. 1940
Rare ladie’s bust with hand and cape, Werkstatte Hagenauer Vienna, ca. 1940, carved wood and nickel-plated brass, marked
marked with “ATELIER/HAGENAUER/WIEN, “MADE IN/VIENNA/AUSTRIA”, “RENA”, “wHw” in the circle
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Description
This bust of a lady with cape belongs to the group of those exotic figurines manufactured by Werkstatte Hagenauer from the mid-1930s. The sculpture is made in a combination of carved walnut wood and cast metal. The intricate craftsmanship is skillfully demonstrated by the finely carved hand.
The woman’s withdrawn facial expression and her particular hand movement leave the viewer room for interpretation. Her almond-shaped eyes, however, and her hairstyle as well as the cape-like clothing possibly are hinting to the origin of the lady. Presumably, the figure represents an indigenous inhabitant of North America.
The very rare marking “RENA” indicates that the bust was explicitly manufactured for export to the USA, in this case specifically for Rena Rosenthal’s gallery. She owned an art store in New York from about 1920-1950, selling Austrian design and high quality decorative arts.
Together with the three-line markings “Atelier Hagenauer Wien” and “Made in Vienna Austria”, the production of this striking woman’s head can be narrowed down to the period from the mid-1930s onwards and is an excellent example of the international export activities of Werkstätte Hagenauer.
Execution
Werkstätte Hagenauer – stylistic evolution and importance
Today, the Werkstatte Hagenauer is rightfully among the most important Austrian Arts & Crafts manufacturers of the 20th century. The clear, strict formal language combined with dynamic poses and the usage of brass, nickel-plated, patinated or bare, along with copper, alpaca and exotic wood shows a high level of recognition.
However, it took the siblings Karl and Franz Hagenauer quite some time until they developed their own unique style. Karl and Franz both attended the Vienna School of Arts & Crafts and studied under Josef Hoffmann, Oskar Strnad, Anton Hanak and Dagobert Peche.
Until the closure of the Werkstatte Hagenauer on December 30, 1987, art objects of outstanding quality were still being produced. The siblings Karl and Franz Hagenauer strongly contributed in coining the term „design“ through their legacy and are surely among the most influential Austrian artists of the 20th century.
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