Heinrich Splieth

HEINRICH SPLIETH (Germany, 1877- 1929).
"Rider", 1949.
Patinated bronze and marble pedestal.
Signed and dated.
Measurements: 46 x 64 x 19 cm.
Bronze sculpture in which the horse and rider have been conceived from an expressionist perspective, looking for the right textures and qualities. The equine body, slender and elegant, has been resolved with fluidity and dynamism.
Heinrich Splieth was a German sculptor and medalist, son of the sculptor and wood craftsman Heinrich Josef Splieth. He began his training in his father's workshop. After the sudden death of his father, he left elementary school and his hometown of Elbing and entered the Christian art studio in Münster as an apprentice. After two years there, he worked at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Berlin with Ludwig Manzel and Wilhelm Haverkamp from 1897 to 1903. There he created his first award-winning works. Splieth entered the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, where he worked as a teacher from 1903 to 1908 with Manzel and Arthur Kampf. In 1905 he made his first major trip to Rome.
On his return home, he created in 1908 the model for the "Descent from the Cross", which was later realized in Cotta sandstone in the Nicolai Church in Elbing. This work earned him the Raussendorf Prize of the Academy. At the same time, the Frauenburg cathedral chapter awarded him the Preuckianum scholarship. With the funds obtained, he lived and studied for two more years in Rome. Upon his return, he established his own artist's studio in Berlin. He attracted the attention of Emperor Wilhelm II, who had the imperial majolica factory built on his estate in Cadinen.