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Franz Xaver Messerschmidt Mest populære malerier

De 24 kunstværker af Franz Xaver Messerschmidt, som vores besøgende efterspørger mest, rangeret efter popularitet og præsenteret ét efter ét med specifikationer og prisen på hver håndmalede reproduktion.

Udgave 2026 · 24 kunstværker Hvert kunstværk males efter bestilling
Lærred af linned · Ægthedscertifikat · Leveres over hele verden Franz Xaver Messerschmidt · 1736 – 1783

Self-Portrait with Wig

1780 · Szépművészeti Múzeum, Budapest · original 24 x 17 cm

Franz Xaver Messerschmidt's 'Self-Portrait with Wig' captures intense emotion through hauntingly expressive bronze busts. Explore the artist’s psychological depth and Neoclassical style in this iconic work.

Se kunstværket

Self-Portrait with Wig

1780 · Szépművészeti Múzeum, Budapest · original 24 x 17 cm

Franz Xaver Messerschmidt's 'Self-Portrait with Wig' captures intense emotion through hauntingly expressive character heads, foreshadowing Expressionism. Explore the sculptor’s psychological depth and artistic legacy.

Se kunstværket

Self-Portrait: Laughing

1780 · Szépművészeti Múzeum, Budapest · original 24 x 17 cm

Franz Xaver Messerschmidt's 'Self-Portrait: Laughing' captures raw emotion with a haunting marble bust. Explore the intensity of his iconic character heads and the artist’s turbulent life.

Se kunstværket

Character Head: The Beaked

1770 · Belvedere Palads i Wien, Wien

Explore Franz Xaver Messerschmidt's haunting 'Character Heads,' sculptures capturing intense human emotions & psychological turmoil from 1770. A unique precursor to Expressionism.

Se kunstværket

Self-Portrait: Laughing

1780 · Szépművészeti Múzeum, Budapest · original 24 x 17 cm

Teknik: Håndmalet olie på lærred
Fremstillet af: Bestilles af en uddannet maler
Popularitet: Nr. 5 af 24 værker af Franz Xaver Messerschmidt
Levering: Verden over, ca. 5 uger

fra$17732 × 32 cm Bestil dette kunstværk

Character Head: Childish Weeping

1783 · Szépművészeti Múzeum, Budapest · original 45 x 22 cm

Franz Xaver Messerschmidt’s ‘Childish Weeping’ bronze bust: A powerfully expressive 1783 sculpture showcasing intense emotion & Mannerist style. Explore this iconic artwork.

Se kunstværket

Character Head: The Yawner

1783 · Szépművészeti Múzeum, Budapest · original 42 x 21 cm

Franz Xaver Messerschmidt’s ‘Character Head: The Yawner’ – a dramatic bronze bust capturing intense anguish. Explore this 1783 masterpiece of realism & raw emotion.

Se kunstværket

Character Head: The Hanged

1770 · Østrigske Galerie Belvedere, Wien

Explore the haunting 'Character Head: The Hanged' by Franz Xaver Messerschmidt – a psychologically intense sculpture capturing raw emotion & reflecting the artist’s troubled life.

Se kunstværket

Character Head: The Lecher

1770 · Østrigske Galerie Belvedere, Wien

Explore Franz Xaver Messerschmidt's haunting 'Character Head: The Lecher,' a masterpiece of Expressionism predating its formal emergence. Discover the artist’s unique style and psychological depth in this marble sculpture.

Teknik: Håndmalet olie på lærred
Fremstillet af: Bestilles af en uddannet maler
Popularitet: Nr. 9 af 24 værker af Franz Xaver Messerschmidt
Levering: Verden over, ca. 5 uger

fra$17727 × 38 cm Bestil dette kunstværk

Character Head: Childish Weeping

1783 · Szépművészeti Múzeum, Budapest · original 45 x 22 cm

Franz Xaver Messerschmidt’s ‘Childish Weeping’ bronze bust: A powerfully expressive 1783 sculpture showcasing intense emotion & Mannerist style. Explore this iconic artwork.

Se kunstværket

Character Head: The Yawner

1783 · Szépművészeti Múzeum, Budapest · original 42 x 21 cm

Franz Xaver Messerschmidt's 'Character Head: The Yawner' (1783) captures intense weariness with striking realism. Explore the emotional depth of this iconic bronze bust, a masterpiece of Neoclassical sculpture.

Se kunstværket

Portrait of a Man

Bratislava City Gallery, Bratislava

Teknik: Håndmalet olie på lærred
Fremstillet af: Bestilles af en uddannet maler
Popularitet: Nr. 12 af 24 værker af Franz Xaver Messerschmidt
Levering: Verden over, ca. 5 uger

fra$17737 × 27 cm Bestil dette kunstværk

Portrait of a Woman

Bratislava City Gallery, Bratislava

Teknik: Håndmalet olie på lærred
Fremstillet af: Bestilles af en uddannet maler
Popularitet: Nr. 13 af 24 værker af Franz Xaver Messerschmidt
Levering: Verden over, ca. 5 uger

fra$17737 × 27 cm Bestil dette kunstværk

Character Head: Quiet, Peaceful Sleep

1783 · Szépművészeti Múzeum, Budapest · original 43 x 22 cm

Franz Xaver Messerschmidt's 'Character Head: Quiet, Peaceful Sleep' captures profound emotion through striking bronze sculpture. Explore the artist’s psychological depth and Neoclassical style in this haunting portrait.

Se kunstværket

The Yawner

1775 · Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf

Discover 'The Yawner' by Franz Xaver Messerschmidt – a haunting 1775 marble bust capturing intense emotion. Explore this early Classicist masterpiece & its powerful realism.

Se kunstværket

Incapable bassoonist

Teknik: Håndmalet olie på lærred
Fremstillet af: Bestilles af en uddannet maler
Popularitet: Nr. 16 af 24 værker af Franz Xaver Messerschmidt
Levering: Verden over, ca. 5 uger

fra$17729 × 35 cm Bestil dette kunstværk

Ill humoured man

Teknik: Håndmalet olie på lærred
Fremstillet af: Bestilles af en uddannet maler
Popularitet: Nr. 17 af 24 værker af Franz Xaver Messerschmidt
Levering: Verden over, ca. 5 uger

fra$17729 × 35 cm Bestil dette kunstværk

Elijah Increases the Oil of the Widow (detail)

Liechtenstein Museum, Wien

Discover Franz Xaver Messerschmidt’s ‘Elijah Increases Oil,’ a stunning Neoclassical bronze sculpture. Explore its classical beauty & symbolic depth – a masterpiece of lost-wax casting.

Teknik: Håndmalet olie på lærred
Fremstillet af: Bestilles af en uddannet maler
Popularitet: Nr. 18 af 24 værker af Franz Xaver Messerschmidt
Levering: Verden over, ca. 5 uger

fra$17728 × 36 cm Bestil dette kunstværk

The Capuchin

Bratislava City Gallery, Bratislava

Teknik: Håndmalet olie på lærred
Fremstillet af: Bestilles af en uddannet maler
Popularitet: Nr. 19 af 24 værker af Franz Xaver Messerschmidt
Levering: Verden over, ca. 5 uger

fra$17726 × 39 cm Bestil dette kunstværk

Character head the beaked side view

Teknik: Håndmalet olie på lærred
Fremstillet af: Bestilles af en uddannet maler
Popularitet: Nr. 20 af 24 værker af Franz Xaver Messerschmidt
Levering: Verden over, ca. 5 uger

fra$17727 × 37 cm Bestil dette kunstværk

Elijah Increases the Oil of the Widow

Liechtenstein Museum, Wien

Explore Franz Xaver Messerschmidt’s neoclassical bronze fountain sculpture – ‘Elijah Increases the Oil of the Widow.’ A timeless masterpiece showcasing classical beauty & expressive detail.

Teknik: Håndmalet olie på lærred
Fremstillet af: Bestilles af en uddannet maler
Popularitet: Nr. 21 af 24 værker af Franz Xaver Messerschmidt
Levering: Verden over, ca. 5 uger

fra$20229 × 34 cm Bestil dette kunstværk

The Arch-Evil

Teknik: Håndmalet olie på lærred
Fremstillet af: Bestilles af en uddannet maler
Popularitet: Nr. 22 af 24 værker af Franz Xaver Messerschmidt
Levering: Verden over, ca. 5 uger

fra$17727 × 37 cm Bestil dette kunstværk

The beaked

Teknik: Håndmalet olie på lærred
Fremstillet af: Bestilles af en uddannet maler
Popularitet: Nr. 23 af 24 værker af Franz Xaver Messerschmidt
Levering: Verden over, ca. 5 uger

fra$17726 × 38 cm Bestil dette kunstværk

The gentle, quiet sleep

Teknik: Håndmalet olie på lærred
Fremstillet af: Bestilles af en uddannet maler
Popularitet: Nr. 24 af 24 værker af Franz Xaver Messerschmidt
Levering: Verden over, ca. 5 uger

fra$17727 × 37 cm Bestil dette kunstværk

Kunstneren

Franz Xaver Messerschmidt

1736 – 1783

Hurtige fakta

Also known asMesserschmidt
Room fitstue og opholdsrum
Died1783
Top 3 worksSelf-Portrait with Wig, Self-Portrait: Laughing
Works on APS24
Color intensitymonokrom
Born1736, Wiesensteig, Tyskland
NationalityTyskland

Biografi

Franz Xaver Messerschmidt – Master sculptor of haunting 'Character Heads' – intensely expressive busts exploring human emotion & psychology. A unique precursor to Expressionism.

Franz Xaver Messerschmidt, born in the Bavarian village of Wiesensteig in 1736, occupies a singular and often unsettling position in the history of sculpture. He wasn’t merely a product of his time—a bridge between the opulent late Baroque and the emerging Neoclassical styles—but an artist who seemed to anticipate the emotional intensity of Expressionism nearly a century before its formal emergence. His life, marked by both artistic promise and increasing psychological turmoil, is inextricably linked to his most enduring legacy: the “Character Heads,” busts that capture human emotion in states of raw, almost unbearable intensity. Messerschmidt’s early training was steeped in family tradition; he first learned the craft under the tutelage of his uncle, Johann Baptist Straub, a sculptor working in Munich. This foundational period instilled in him a mastery of traditional techniques, which he further honed through apprenticeships with another uncle, Philipp Jakob Straub, in Graz, and later at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, where Jacob Schletterer guided his development. These early works demonstrate a clear proficiency in the prevailing Baroque style, particularly evident in commissions for Empress Maria Theresa—bronze busts and reliefs that adhered to the conventions of courtly representation favored by artists like Balthasar Ferdinand Moll. He was, initially, a sculptor very much *of* his time, skilled at portraying power and status with appropriate grandeur.

Early Years & Artistic Foundations

Born February 6, 1736, in the southwestern town of thence Bavarian Wiesensteig, located in the region of (now) Baden-Württemberg in Germany. Messerschmidt grew up in the Munich home of his uncle, Johann Baptist Straub, who became his first master. He spent two years in Graz, in the workshop of his other maternal uncle, Philipp Jakob Straub, and later at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, where Jacob Schletterer mentored him. These formative experiences instilled within him a profound understanding of Baroque sculptural conventions—the dramatic chiaroscuro, the idealized human form, and the meticulous attention to detail—influencing his subsequent artistic endeavors. His early commissions for Maria Theresa showcased this skill, producing impressive bronze busts and reliefs that upheld the standards of Habsburg courtly art. These works established Messerschmidt as a respected craftsman within the established artistic landscape of his era.

The Genesis of Disquiet: The Character Heads

Around 1769-1770, however, a dramatic shift began to occur in Messerschmidt’s artistic vision. While continuing to accept traditional portrait commissions—a testament to his adaptability and commercial acumen—he embarked on the creation of what would become his defining work—the “Character Heads.” These were not portraits in the conventional sense; they weren't intended to flatter or commemorate. Instead, they depicted faces contorted in extreme emotional expressions: laughter bordering on hysteria, grief etched into every line, grimaces of anguish and despair. The origins of this unsettling departure are complex, interwoven with both artistic experimentation and a deepening personal struggle. Accounts from the time, particularly those provided by Friedrich Nicolai following a visit to Messerschmidt in 1781, reveal an artist obsessed with capturing the full spectrum of human emotion—a preoccupation that would ultimately shape his entire oeuvre. Nicolai’s observations documented Messerschmidt's peculiar method: he would reportedly pinch his own lower ribs, observing the resulting facial contortions in a mirror and then attempting to replicate them in marble or bronze. This self-experimentation suggests a deliberate effort to access and portray authentic emotional states—a radical departure from the idealized representations favored by many of his contemporaries. Furthermore, Messerschmidt believed he was striving to represent all 64 “canonical grimaces” of the human face—a monumental undertaking that demanded an unprecedented level of anatomical precision and psychological insight. This ambition speaks to a deeper philosophical underpinning—a desire to understand and codify the fundamental expressions of humanity—reflecting influences from Hermetic teachings and a fascination with universal balance.

A Revolutionary Approach: Exploring Emotion Through Sculpture

The Character Heads represent a pivotal moment in Messerschmidt’s artistic trajectory, marking a decisive break from Baroque formalism and foreshadowing the expressive fervor of Expressionism. Unlike earlier sculptures designed to convey noble virtues or commemorate historical figures, these busts confronted viewers with visceral depictions of human suffering—a daring challenge to aesthetic conventions that demanded an uncompromising commitment to emotional truthfulness. The resulting sculptures are characterized by their unsettling realism—faces frozen in moments of intense emotion—and their masterful manipulation of sculptural form to communicate psychological states. Messerschmidt’s meticulous anatomical studies informed his work, ensuring accuracy while simultaneously serving as a vehicle for conveying profound feelings. He achieved this remarkable feat through subtle shifts in facial musculature and posture, creating images that resonate with an unsettling immediacy.

Later Years & Legacy

Following his expulsion from the Academy of Fine Arts in 1774—a consequence of his increasingly erratic behavior and unorthodox artistic methods—Messerschmidt retreated to Wiesensteig, where he continued to sculpt until his death in 1783. Despite facing financial hardship and social isolation, Messerschmidt remained steadfast in his pursuit of artistic excellence, producing a final series of Character Heads that embody the culmination of his lifelong fascination with human emotion. These sculptures—particularly those created during his later years—are considered among his most poignant and psychologically complex works. Ernst Kris’s groundbreaking analysis suggested that Messerschmidt's obsessive preoccupation with capturing emotional expression stemmed from paranoid delusions—a controversial interpretation that nevertheless underscores the profound influence of psychological turmoil on his artistic output. Nevertheless, Franz Xaver Messerschmidt’s legacy endures as a testament to the transformative potential of art—specifically its capacity to confront uncomfortable truths and explore the depths of human experience. His pioneering approach to sculptural expression continues to inspire artists today, cementing his place as a singular visionary whose work transcends stylistic boundaries and speaks directly to the enduring power of emotion. His contribution extends beyond individual artworks; he fundamentally altered the possibilities of sculptural representation—a legacy that secures his position as one of the most important sculptors of his time.

Spørgsmål og svar

Hvordan kan jeg følge Franz Xaver Messerschmidts værker kronologisk?

Se kunstnerens Tidslinje for kunstværker for en kronologisk gennemgang af Franz Xaver Messerschmidts værker, år for år.

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Franz Xaver Messerschmidts værker kan opleves i et 3D-galleri på kunstnerens 3D-galleri-side.

I hvilke kunstretninger arbejdede Franz Xaver Messerschmidt?

Siden Alle kunstretninger grupperer Franz Xaver Messerschmidts værker efter kunstretning.

Af WikiOO.org' redaktion Opdateret 2. september 2026

Samlerens quiz

Hvilken kunststil prægede Messerschmidt’s tidlige værker og blev påvirket af Balthasar Ferdinand Moll?
Hvordan beskrev Friedrich Nicolai Messerschmidt’s metode til at skabe udtrykkende ansigtsudtryk i hans karakter hoveder?
Hvilken filosofisk idé ligger bag Messerschmidt’s ambition om at repræsentere alle 64 „kanoniske grimaser“ af menneskets ansigt?
Hvilken kunstner blev Messerschmidt’s metode til at skabe udtrykkende ansigtsudtryk i hans karakter hoveder sammenlignet med?
Hvad er Messerschmidt’s største kunstneriske arv efter hans død?

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