Jumping Ibex, 1911

This rearing ibex, native to the Alps, appears aggressive and powerful but also noble. He is wearing his imposing, bent horns like a dangerous weapon mounted against an invisible opponent. In his animal depictions, the sculptor Franz Barwig the Elder (1868–1931) managed to capture the precise moment of an action, and to freeze the stances and physiognomies of the animals. The artist first presented his animal sculptures in 1906 at an exhibition of the artists’ association Hagenbund, which he had joined in 1905. His depictions, which were lauded for their dynamics, were soon in international demand.

AK, 2023