You can see also the site "under construction" at beethovenhouse@msn.com
Claudie
Claudie
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Claudie -
Dear Euphony 131,
I have under my eyes the picture of the cast (gypse) you have seen in Vienna, and the picture of the bust (bronze copy of the former one) of the Beethoven Haus.
Of course the first one is the more detailled and impressive. The 3 copies in Bronze are contemporary but does not give the same impact....
Your Museum was "DER WIENER KUNSTLERISCHER MUSEUM" (Collection of music instrument).
The copies are (bronze ones) :
- in America (?) gone with a great grand son of the STREICHER family
- owned by Franz KLEIN himself (now disappeared ?)
- in the BEETHOVEN-HAUS in Bonn.
The cast was taken by KLEIN in 1812, as said Peter, and was made two times because B. could not afford the treatment... During the operation something were put in the nose to permit the breathing... but the mouth was totally closed and it must have beem difficult to stay hours like that.
The bust you have seen (gypse) is 75 cm high and was restored by Walter Paulus in 1991.
The bust in the Beethoven-Haus was given to the Beethoven verein (association from which I am a member) in 1890.
The family STREICHER (pianos makers), Andreas and Nannette, opened a "Music-salon" to give concerts (STREICHERHOF in Ungargasse) in 1812. They wanted busts of geat musicians and great music friends.
They had Beethoven, Mozart and Haydn along Pince Louis-Ferdinand, Grossherzog Rudolph, Baroness Pereira and Mr and Mrs Streicher.
Only Beethoven and Mr Streicher's busts remain. All the others disappeared.
Franz Klein (1777-1840) made his studies in 1804 at the "WIENER KUNSTAKADEMIE BILDHAUEREI".
In 1805 he studied with the renowned practician and specialist searcher of the skull Dr Franz Joseph Gall.
In 1811 he got his first big contract : the bust of the poet Dichter Heinrich von COLLIN (who wa dead).
The collection of casts of skull of the Dr Gall are in the ROLLETT MUSEUM in Baden near Vienna...
It is normal you were impressed by the original cast (gypse one) : it is the best, really lively.
Only the eyes, of course, could give us a better image....
At the Beethoven-Haus you can get postcards with the bust they owned (bronze one). If you want a copy of the fotograph of the original I can naturally send it to you....
I must buy a scanner I think !!!
(or give ne an address).
ClaudieClaudieComment
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I forgot to say :
On the original cast (gypse) is written "BETHOFEN".
Nothing is written on the Cast in the Beethoven-Haus.
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