Ruht im Frieden seiner Hände. 1935/36.
Bronze with dark brown patina.
Timm 45. With the inscription "KOLLWITZ" and the foundry mark "H. Noack Berlin". 34,5 : 31 cm (13,5 : 12,2 in). Käthe Kollwitz’s œuvre reveals a lifelong preoccupation with death. She saw death not just as the completion of life but also as its constant companion. This work, which Kollwitz designed at her sister’s request, was intended for the family vault in Berlin Lichtenberg. It is based on a quotation from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s West-Eastern Divan: “God is of the east possess’d,/ God is ruler of the west;/ North and south alike, each land/ Rests within His gentle hand.” (1st strophe: the Talismans, Moganni Nameh, The Minstrel’s Book). In her conception, Kollwitz has emphasised the resting aspect. This relief has overtones of the inevitability of fate but also of the freedom of being released from all earthly cares. [KD]

PROVENIENZ: Private collection USA.

Nice cast of a differenciated execution and with even patina
In good condition.