After a model by Franz Xaver Messerschmidt (1736-1783), Austrian, late 18th/ 19th century

An XRF analysis was carried out by Rupert Harris Conservation. Three samples were taken: the chin: 56.2% lead, 41.7% tin, and 1.1% copper; the base: 55.7% lead, 40.2% tin, 3.3% iron and 0.2 % copper and the forehead: 51.8% tin, 44.2% lead, 0.8% copper; 0.3% iron. Overall the condition of the bust is good. There is wear and dirt to the surface consistent with age and consistent with the soft alloy. The tip of the nose is somewhat flattened due to a knock as are areas in the hair around the left temple and just above the ponytail, to the bow in the ribbon tying the hair and the lower button on the proper left side. There are small nicks and scratches including above the proper left eyebrow, a long scratch under the proper left eyebrow, four to the proper right cheek, one to the chin, one to the edge of the proper left ear, at the bend in the ponytail and some along the truncation and in the hair. There is an area of surface damage around the inscription along the lower edge with a small dent at the very back. An iron crossbeam was soldered into the inside for mounting the bust on a base; several drips of solder have fallen into the cast. The walnut base has a shaped recess to fit the bust. There is some minor wear to the base.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Messerschmidt's bust of the famous Hungarian historian, Martin Georg Kovachich, is the sculptor's last known work.

Aged only 47 when he died, Messerschmidt's artistic creativity and innovation were undiminished at his untimely death.  The portrait of Kovachich is intensely modern in its sharp articulation of the physigionomny and meticulous in the treatment of the Hungarian costume and hair. It incorporates all the precision of observation which make Messerschmidt's character heads so engaging.

Messerschmidt made Kovachich's portrait from sittings during a visit to Bratislava in 1782. Kovachich wrote to the sculptor on 1^st May 1783 extolling his artistic virtues and expressing his appreciation by sending gifts, including a half cask of red wine and Spanish tobacco.  By then the bust was installed in Kovachich's study in Buda. His letter goes on to discuss his regret at not being able to have had his portrait cast in bronze and wishes that he could acquire other works by him but confessed to a lack of funds. That bust was sold by S. Berger to the Hungarian Portrait Gallery in 1896 from where it entered the Museum of Fine Arts in 1943.

Messerschmidt's bust of Martin Georg Kovachich must count as one of the most important portraits of the Enlightenment. As the current Neue Gallery catalogue notes 'with its simple, objectively described clothing, stiff wig, and the lengthy mottos chosen with pedantic erudition, the bust depicts the historian from Buda as the prototypical Josephinian representative of the Enlightenment. The rigid, austere portrait with its simplified form has thus also become a monument of its epoch'.

The present bust is made of a lead-tin alloy which is consistent with other works by Messerschmidt and the casting appears to be consistent with an late 18th century date. The hair, eyebrows and costume are chased and finished to a very high degree. However, the form of the signature and inscription is inconsistent with the Budapest bust of Kovachich and the other inscriptions which may indicate a later date of manufacture. It is interesting to note that two character heads that fall outside the numbered group (Palazzo Coronini Cronberg, Gorizia, inv. nos. 796-7) -which were part of a group of late busts sold from Messerschmidt's estate between 1783 and 1793 by his brother- are thought to have later signatures (op.cit. Pötzl and Scherf, p. 189-90).


RELATED LITERATURE
M. Pötzl-Malikova, Franz Xaver Messerschmidt, Munich, 1982, pp. 239-240, no. 63; M. Krapf (ed.), Franz Xaver Messerschmidt, Ostfildern-Ruit, 2003, pp.214-215, no. 62; M. Pötzl-Malikova and G. Scherf (eds.), Franz Xaver Messerschmidt 1736-1783: From Neoclassicism to Expressionism, exh. cat. Neue Galerie and Muséee du Louvre, New York/ Paris, 2010, pp. 92-95, no. 7