In the radiant Vienna of the late 19th century, Rudolf Weyr (1847-1914) was a master of sculpture. Discovery of the Universal Exhibition in 1873, he benefited from the extraordinary development of the Austro-Hungarian capital after the stock market crash, and became one of the best sculptors of the Empire.
Author of numerous monuments in Vienna, his most famous work is undoubtedly Die Macht zur See (“The power on the sea”, 1894), a monumental fountain depicting the allegory of the Empire taming the waves and sea monsters. These stunning sculptures make him a major figure in the Neo-Baroque style. In other works, Weyr shows a sensitivity to Germanic folklore.
The Empress Sissi appealed to him for the sculpture of the pediments of the Villa Hermès in 1884, then the Emperor Franz Joseph I will solicit him in 1898 to carry out his full-length statue.
