LADISLAV SALOUN (1870-1946) A HARPY 1934 Serpentinite, amber. This unique object, which Ladislav Saloun created in 1934, symbolizes the malevolent creature from antiquity and was part of his studio's original furnishings. As explained in the expert assessment by Prof. PhDr. Petr Wittlich, CSc: "... the date it was made is interesting, because the subject is an exception in Saloun's interwar work. It builds on his symbolic sculptures from the early part of the century, and due to its monumental form it was evaluated as the most remarkable work from Saloun's late period. Its meaning can only be speculated, but it can be understood as Salooun't response to poor assessments of his work, strongly worded by F. X. Salda in his legendary 1929 article 'The Plague of Monuments'. Originally the beautiful goddess of storms, half human and half bird, in Greek mythology the harpy transformed into a hideous avenger of man's guilt. Saloun, who at the beginning of the century created a remarkable series of expressive heads depicting extreme mental states, which were also used in the Hus memorial, returned to this concept in Harpy to give him a more general meaning seeped in mythology. Perhaps for him the Harpy was a symbol of the eternal retribution threatening artistic monumentalism that eliminates functionalist utilitarianism. The mesmerising expressiveness in Harpy's face is amplified by the material that was chosen for the sculpture, as the greenish tone injects it with a sense of natural fateful strength." Ref.: L.Šaloun, drobná plastika, kresby, duben–květen 1980, Hradec Králové Regional Gallery, List of Works no. 57, photo no. 12. 57 cm (h) Starting price CZK : 380000