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Franz Xaver Messerschmidt Most Popular Paintings

The 24 artworks by Franz Xaver Messerschmidt our visitors ask for most, ranked by popularity and presented one by one, with the specification and the price of each hand-painted reproduction.

Edition 2026 · 24 artworks Each artwork painted to order
Linen canvas · Certificate of authenticity · Delivered worldwide 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.

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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.

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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.

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Character Head: The Beaked

1770 · Austrian Gallery Belvedere, Vienna

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

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Self-Portrait: Laughing

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

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 5 of 24 artworks by Franz Xaver Messerschmidt
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$17732 × 32 cm Commission this artwork

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.

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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.

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Character Head: The Hanged

1770 · Österreichische Galerie, Vienna

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

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Character Head: The Lecher

1770 · Österreichische Galerie, Vienna

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.

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 9 of 24 artworks by Franz Xaver Messerschmidt
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$17727 × 38 cm Commission this artwork

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.

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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.

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Portrait of a Man

Bratislava City Gallery, Bratislava

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 12 of 24 artworks by Franz Xaver Messerschmidt
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$17737 × 27 cm Commission this artwork

Portrait of a Woman

Bratislava City Gallery, Bratislava

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 13 of 24 artworks by Franz Xaver Messerschmidt
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$17737 × 27 cm Commission this artwork

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.

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The Yawner

1775 · Kunstpalast, Duesseldorf

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

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Incapable bassoonist

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 16 of 24 artworks by Franz Xaver Messerschmidt
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$17729 × 35 cm Commission this artwork

Ill humoured man

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 17 of 24 artworks by Franz Xaver Messerschmidt
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$17729 × 35 cm Commission this artwork

Elijah Increases the Oil of the Widow (detail)

Liechtenstein Museum, Vienna

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.

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 18 of 24 artworks by Franz Xaver Messerschmidt
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$17728 × 36 cm Commission this artwork

The Capuchin

Bratislava City Gallery, Bratislava

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 19 of 24 artworks by Franz Xaver Messerschmidt
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$17726 × 39 cm Commission this artwork

Character head the beaked side view

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 20 of 24 artworks by Franz Xaver Messerschmidt
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$17727 × 37 cm Commission this artwork

Elijah Increases the Oil of the Widow

Liechtenstein Museum, Vienna

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

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 21 of 24 artworks by Franz Xaver Messerschmidt
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$20229 × 34 cm Commission this artwork

The Arch-Evil

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 22 of 24 artworks by Franz Xaver Messerschmidt
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$17727 × 37 cm Commission this artwork

The beaked

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 23 of 24 artworks by Franz Xaver Messerschmidt
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$17726 × 38 cm Commission this artwork

The gentle, quiet sleep

Technique: Hand-painted oil on linen canvas
Made: To order, by a trained painter
Popularity: No. 24 of 24 artworks by Franz Xaver Messerschmidt
Delivery: Worldwide, about 5 weeks

from$17727 × 37 cm Commission this artwork

The artist

Franz Xaver Messerschmidt

1736 – 1783

Quick facts

Also known asMesserschmidt
Room fitliving room
Died1783
Top 3 worksSelf-Portrait with Wig, Self-Portrait: Laughing
Works on APS24
Color intensitymonochromatic
Born1736, Bavaria, Germany
NationalityGermany

Biography

A Life Sculpted by Emotion: The World of Franz Xaver Messerschmidt

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.

The Genesis of Disquiet: The Character Heads

Around 1769-1770, however, a profound shift began to occur in Messerschmidt’s artistic vision. While continuing to accept traditional portrait commissions, 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 dramatic 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. Nicolai described 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 attempt to access and portray authentic emotional states, rather than relying on idealized representations. Furthermore, Messerschmidt believed he was striving to represent all 64 “canonical grimaces” of the human face, guided by principles derived from Hermetic teachings and a quest for a "universal balance" akin to the golden ratio. This ambition speaks to a deeper philosophical underpinning—a desire to understand and codify the fundamental expressions of humanity. However, alongside this intellectual pursuit, there was a growing sense of mental instability. Ernst Kris theorized that these experiments were linked to paranoid ideas and hallucinations that began to plague Messerschmidt in the 1770s, ultimately leading to his expulsion from the Academy of Fine Arts in 1774 despite having served as a teacher since 1769.

Decline and Isolation: The Final Years

Following his dismissal from Vienna, Messerschmidt’s life took a downward spiral. He returned to Wiesensteig, then briefly sought patronage in Munich without success. He eventually settled in Pressburg (modern-day Bratislava), where he spent his final years largely isolated, continuing to create Character Heads with unwavering dedication. This period was marked by increasing eccentricity and financial hardship. The invaluable account of his methods and beliefs recorded by Friedrich Nicolai during his 1781 visit provides a crucial window into Messerschmidt’s artistic process and the philosophical underpinnings of his work. Nicolai's writings reveal an artist convinced he was on a path to unlocking universal truths about human emotion, even as his mental state deteriorated. The Character Heads produced during these final years are perhaps the most haunting and emotionally charged, reflecting both his artistic genius and his profound inner turmoil. He died in Pressburg in 1783, largely forgotten by the art world.

A Legacy Rediscovered: Messerschmidt’s Enduring Influence

For many years after his death, Messerschmidt remained a relatively obscure figure. His Character Heads were initially dismissed as the products of madness, curiosities rather than serious works of art. However, in the 20th century, a reevaluation began to take place. Scholars and artists recognized the profound psychological insight embedded within these unsettling sculptures, acknowledging Messerschmidt as a precursor to Expressionism and an early explorer of the human psyche. His willingness to depict raw emotion—to confront the darker aspects of the human condition—challenged traditional artistic norms and paved the way for future generations of artists who sought to express inner experience rather than simply represent external reality. Today, Franz Xaver Messerschmidt is celebrated as a unique and visionary sculptor whose work continues to resonate with audiences seeking a deeper understanding of themselves and the complexities of the human spirit. His legacy lies not only in the technical brilliance of his sculptures but also in their enduring power to provoke, disturb, and ultimately, illuminate the depths of human emotion.

Key Works & Their Significance

The Yawner (1775): This marble bust exemplifies Messerschmidt’s ability to capture a fleeting moment of intense physical and emotional release, showcasing his mastery of anatomical detail and expressive form.
Character Head: Childish Weeping (1783): A bronze sculpture that embodies profound sorrow, demonstrating the artist's skill in conveying complex emotions through subtle shifts in facial features. It’s a poignant example of his later Mannerist style.
Elijah Increases the Oil of the Widow: This neoclassical fountain sculpture demonstrates Messerschmidt’s earlier versatility and ability to work within established artistic conventions, providing a contrast to the radical experimentation of the Character Heads.

Messerschmidt's contribution extends beyond individual artworks; he fundamentally altered the possibilities of sculptural expression. He dared to venture into territory previously unexplored—the realm of raw, unfiltered emotion—and in doing so, left an indelible mark on the history of art. His work remains a testament to the power of art to confront uncomfortable truths and explore the depths of the human condition.

Questions & Answers

How can I follow Franz Xaver Messerschmidt's work year by year?

The artist's Artwork Timeline page presents Franz Xaver Messerschmidt's works ordered by date, year by year.

Is there a 3D virtual tour of Franz Xaver Messerschmidt's works?

Franz Xaver Messerschmidt's artworks can be seen in a 3D gallery on the artist's 3D Museum page.

In which movements did Franz Xaver Messerschmidt work?

The All Movements page groups Franz Xaver Messerschmidt's artworks by art movement.

By the WikiOO.org Editorial Team Updated Sept. 2, 2026

Collector's quiz

Franz Xaver Messerschmidt is best known for his:
Messerschmidt's artistic style bridges which two periods?
What unusual method did Messerschmidt reportedly use to develop the expressions for his 'Character Heads'?
Messerschmidt claimed to be attempting to represent:
In what city did Messerschmidt spend his final years?

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