Joseph Gasser von Valhorn

Josef Gasser ( Joseph Gasser, 1879 Knights of valhorn; born November 22, 1816 in Wallhorn ( valhorn ), community Praegraten, East Tyrol, † October 28, 1900 in Praegraten ) was an Austrian sculptor.

Life

Josef Gasser was a brother of Hanns Gasser. He was first taught by his father and demonstrated a great skill in the modeling of statuettes.

Since 1837 he trained as a student at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts under the masters Johann Nepomuk Schaller, Joseph and Joseph Klieber Käßmann. He successfully debuted in 1844 with a statue of Leopold the Glorious, which earned him a scholarship for a stay in Rome, where he studied from 1845 to 1849 according to nature and according to the ancient world and a group of Venus and Cupid created. For health reasons he lived, the ailing life and suffered from depression, in South Tyrol and moved back to Vienna until 1852. Returned there, he led for the portal of the cathedral at Speyer from the five statues of the Blessed Virgin, the Archangel Michael, Saint Stephen, John the Baptist and Bernard of Clairvaux, the great recognition found.

After the production of busts of the Emperor Maximilian of Mexico and his wife, he received numerous commissions. Among his works are the life-size portrait statues of Emperor Maximilian I, Frederick the Warlike, and Leopold of Habsburg for Feldherrenhalle of 1856 completed " kuk Hofwaffenmuseum " (now Museum of Military History ), which he produced until 1870.

Subsequently Gasser received orders for six statues for the palaces of the Archdukes Wilhelm and Ludwig Viktor, the marble statues of the seven liberal arts in the stairwell of the New Opera House, the Statue of Duke Rudolf IV of the Elisabeth Bridge on today's Karlsplatz, many busts and several Madonna statues and church sculptures for St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, St. Mary's Cathedral in Linz and the Altlerchenfelder parish church. For the Votive Church, he created the crowning of Mary on the main gable, the Trinity group, the Redeemer statue and large bas-reliefs in the lunettes of the three portals of the main facade. Being in Vienna 's best-known work today is probably the 1862 created the cover plate for the marble sarcophagus of St. Clement Mary Hofbauer in the Church of Mary on the Strand. Designed as a reclining figure plate with a representation of the saint on his deathbed is now upright on the wall of Clement chapel.

He taught at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna from 1865 to 1873, where Victor Tilgner was his most famous pupil.

After completion of the work for the Votive Church in 1879, he was raised to knighthood. At this time let his success noticeably since his style was no longer up to date. As a result, he suffered increasingly need and was saved from misery by a board of Vienna. He lived in retirement from 1896 to his birthplace and died penniless and nearly forgotten October 28, 1900 in Praegraten.

His presentation mode is characterized by a restraint of the figure, with technically careful surface treatment and style elements which have decorative ideality to the destination.

Works (selection)

  • Statue of Duke Frederick II the Quarrelsome, white Carrara marble, 1870, Military History Museum, Vienna
  • Statue of Duke Leopold I of Glorwürdige, white Carrara marble, 1870, Military History Museum, Vienna
  • Statue of Emperor Maximilian I, white Carrara marble, 1870, Military History Museum, Vienna
  • Portrait bust of Emperor Maximilian I., 1870, plaster, 59 × 28 × 35 cm, Museum of Military History, Vienna
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