Josef Cesar (1814,

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- 29 June 1876, Vienna) was an Austrian sculptor and

medallist A medalist (or medallist) is an artist who designs medals, plaquettes, badges, metal medallions, coins and similar small works in relief in metal. Historically, medalists were typically also involved in producing their designs, and were usually e ...

Biography

His parents originally meant for him to become a clergyman but, in 1829, at the age of fifteen, he obtained an apprenticeship with the engraving and artistic ironworking company, Wielthalm. Three years later, he began studying sculpture with and Joseph Käßmann (1784–1856) at the

Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna () is a public art school in Vienna, Austria. Founded in 1688 as a private academy, it is now a public university. The academy is also known for twice rejecting admission to a young Adolf Hitler in 1907 and 1908. ...

. Then, under the tutelage of Luigi Pichler, studied the making of coinage and

hardstone carving Hardstone carving, in art history and archaeology, is the artistic carving of semi-precious stones (and sometimes gemstones), such as jade, rock crystal (clear quartz), agate, onyx, jasper, serpentinite, or carnelian, and for objects made in this ...

. In 1836, he was awarded the , which included a grant to study in Rome. He was there until 1842. In 1845, he was able to visit the mints of Germany, France and England, at state expense. Three years later, he was named a member of the Academy in Vienna. Not long after, he started becoming discouraged by the amount of bureaucracy involved in the making of coins and medals, so he switched to producing large sculptures. From 1856, he taught modeling at two secondary schools. One of his best known students was the sculptor - Rudolf Weyr. Some of his most notable works include a bronze statue of

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, for display in Jerusalem (1854), sandstone statues of

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and

Adam Smith Adam Smith (baptised 1723 – 17 July 1790) was a Scottish economist and philosopher who was a pioneer in the field of political economy and key figure during the Scottish Enlightenment. Seen by some as the "father of economics"——— or ...

for the façade of the

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(1862), and a marble statue of

Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach (20 July 1656 – 5 April 1723) was an Austrian architect, sculptor, engraver, and architectural historian whose Baroque architecture profoundly influenced and shaped the tastes of the Habsburg Empire. His inf ...

on the (1867). He also created fifteen portrait medallions of famous actors, in cement, for the box

parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an upward extension of a wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/brea ...

s at the

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References

Biography
from ''Die Künstler aller Zeiten und Völker'', Volume 4, by Adolf Seubert @ Google Books

in ''

Meyers Konversations-Lexikon or was a major encyclopedia in the German language that existed in various editions, and by several titles, from 1839 to 1984, when it merged with the . Joseph Meyer (publisher), Joseph Meyer (1796–1856), who had founded the publishing hous ...

'', 4th ed., vol.3, Verlag des Bibliographischen Instituts, Leipzig/Vienna 1885–1892, pg.907.

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cesar, Josef 1814 births 1876 deaths Sculptors from the Austrian Empire Medallists from Austria-Hungary Academy of Fine Arts Vienna alumni Academic staff of the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna Artists from Vienna Medallists from the Austrian Empire