Josef Dobner- 'Der Gaukler'

I just wanted to put a couple of images  of this carving on my blog, because I think it's great.
It is 51cm (20") tall and was carved using lime wood in 1926, by a man named Josef Dobner. He died in 1972.

'Der Gaukler' means something like 'the entertainer' or 'the joker' when translated from German into English. I wonder if it is a self-portrait?

The carving is kept at the Belvedere museum in Vienna, which is part of the Austrian State Museum and is well worth a visit.  The copyrights on both of these images are owned by them.

April 2020

Sonia Williams has contacted me and very kindly sent a photograph that she took in Hallstatt, Austria about 1962. It shows Josef Dobner (on the right) standing with his brother Thomas who was an architect.

Photo © Sonia Williams. Reproduced here with permission

Sonia recalled meeting Professor Dobner and his family many times at their home in Villach, in Austria. He also introduced her to the painter Willi Götzl. After studying in Austria as a pupil of Götzl, she is now based in Norfolk in England. Thank you to Sonia for sharing her memories and for permission to use this photograph.