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What the painting shows
Allegory of Sculpture by Klimt presents a standing nude woman surrounded by sculpted figures from antiquity. She balances barefoot on a round pedestal in the foreground, turning slightly toward the left while gazing outward. In her raised left hand, she holds a dark winged figure standing on a globe. Her dark hair falls over her shoulder, accented by a gold hairpiece, a wide gold choker at her throat, and a spiral gold bracelet wrapped around her right upper arm.
Behind the woman stands a towering stone bust of a female figure carved in classical style, with blank eyes and wavy hair beneath a diadem. Below this head, a smaller relief figure wears an elaborate helmet, and a dark bronze statue of a seated youth hunches forward with bowed head on a pedestal to the lower left. In the upper right background, a sculpted relief frieze shows figures in draped robes, set behind an architectural frame.
The story behind it
Klimt completed Allegory of Sculpture in 1889, placing his signature and the date in Roman numerals near the right edge. The painting ranks among his early works and belongs to his series of allegories. The German title for the piece is Allegorie der Skulptur. Klimt executed the composition on paper, combining fine pencil drawing with subtle watercolor tones to define the nude body and the surrounding statues.
Where to see it
Allegory of Sculpture is in the collection of the MAK, Museum of Applied Arts, in Vienna. The work measures 43.5 centimeters high by 30 centimeters wide.
Questions about Allegory of Sculpture
Where is Allegory of Sculpture by Klimt?
Allegory of Sculpture by Gustav Klimt is kept in the collection of the MAK, Museum of Applied Arts, located in Vienna. Klimt produced this sheet in 1889 under the German title Allegorie der Skulptur. The museum houses the original watercolor and pencil artwork, which measures 43.5 centimeters high by 30 centimeters wide as part of Klimt's early allegorical output.
What is Allegory of Sculpture by Klimt made of?
Allegory of Sculpture by Gustav Klimt is made of watercolor and pencil on paper. Klimt drew and painted this work in 1889 on a paper sheet measuring 43.5 centimeters high and 30 centimeters wide. The artwork belongs to the artist's early works and allegories, and it is preserved today in Vienna at the MAK, Museum of Applied Arts, under the alternate title Allegorie der Skulptur.
