Profile portrait of Theodor Herzl - soft ground (vernis mou) engraving by Hermann Struck 1903. Signed and dated in the plate and hand-signed in pencil by both Struck and Herzl. This portrait (titled originally "Bildnis Theodor Herzl"; "Portrait of Theodor Herzl") was created following meetings between Struck and Herzl, which took place in Egypt and in Herzl's home in Vienna in 1903. A series of preliminary drawings created by Struck while at Herzl's house in Vienna served as the basis for this portrait. It is likely that Struck's motive for creating the portrait was his fervent Zionism and the admiration he felt for Herzl. During the sixth Zionist Congress in Basel in August 1903, the two met again and on this occasion Herzl beseeched Struck to allow him to sign a few of the first copies of the engraving. The art critic Dr. Karl Schwarz, a noted researcher and the first general manager of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, described Herzl's image as depicted in this engraving: "Presumably, the artist aspired to create an idealistic image of one of the prophets of Israel, and in this task he succeeded. Theodor Herzl lives forever in our hearts in the portrait created by the artist Struck; this was the portrait of Herzl, with a capital T: the visionary absorbed in his vision, with his gaze looking towards the future." ("Hermann Struck, the Man and the Artist". Edited by Itzhak Mann. Tel-Aviv: Dvir, 1954, pp30-31). After Herzl's death Struck created two additional engravings of his portrait, but it is the engraving offered here that is considered his most famous work and the apex of his oeuvre - and indeed the most important portrait of the father of the Jewish State. "Within a short period of time the engraving became so well known that it emerged as a symbol of Zionism, especially after the death of the charismatic leader in 1904. It was then that the portrait won the respect of all the Zionist circles. By the time the State of Israel was founded, this portrait of Theodor Herzl was considered the epitome of Zionism itself. It decorated the walls of every Zionist event, anywhere. ("Hermann Struck, Printmaking Artist.” Tefen Open Museum, 2007, page 38). Approx. 49.5X39.5 cm. Fair condition. Struck's signature is faded. Dark paper. Stains and tears (slightly affecting the engraving). Long tear to upper part of the leaf, by the upper margins of the plate. Mounted on thin acid-free paper and attached at upper margins to a sheet of paper with five pieces of adhesive tape. Framed (break to glass).
Profile portrait of Theodor Herzl - soft ground (vernis mou) engraving by Hermann Struck 1903. Signed and dated in the plate and hand-signed in pencil by both Struck and Herzl. This portrait (titled originally "Bildnis Theodor Herzl"; "Portrait of Theodor Herzl") was created following meetings between Struck and Herzl, which took place in Egypt and in Herzl's home in Vienna in 1903. A series of preliminary drawings created by Struck while at Herzl's house in Vienna served as the basis for this portrait. It is likely that Struck's motive for creating the portrait was his fervent Zionism and the admiration he felt for Herzl. During the sixth Zionist Congress in Basel in August 1903, the two met again and on this occasion Herzl beseeched Struck to allow him to sign a few of the first copies of the engraving. The art critic Dr. Karl Schwarz, a noted researcher and the first general manager of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, described Herzl's image as depicted in this engraving: "Presumably, the artist aspired to create an idealistic image of one of the prophets of Israel, and in this task he succeeded. Theodor Herzl lives forever in our hearts in the portrait created by the artist Struck; this was the portrait of Herzl, with a capital T: the visionary absorbed in his vision, with his gaze looking towards the future." ("Hermann Struck, the Man and the Artist". Edited by Itzhak Mann. Tel-Aviv: Dvir, 1954, pp30-31). After Herzl's death Struck created two additional engravings of his portrait, but it is the engraving offered here that is considered his most famous work and the apex of his oeuvre - and indeed the most important portrait of the father of the Jewish State. "Within a short period of time the engraving became so well known that it emerged as a symbol of Zionism, especially after the death of the charismatic leader in 1904. It was then that the portrait won the respect of all the Zionist circles. By the time the State of Israel was founded, this portrait of Theodor Herzl was considered the epitome of Zionism itself. It decorated the walls of every Zionist event, anywhere. ("Hermann Struck, Printmaking Artist.” Tefen Open Museum, 2007, page 38). Approx. 49.5X39.5 cm. Fair condition. Struck's signature is faded. Dark paper. Stains and tears (slightly affecting the engraving). Long tear to upper part of the leaf, by the upper margins of the plate. Mounted on thin acid-free paper and attached at upper margins to a sheet of paper with five pieces of adhesive tape. Framed (break to glass).
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
