“How lifelike these features are, reflecting back such a great spirit!”
In 2024, we commemorate the 200th anniversary of the death of István Széchenyi’s mother, Julianna Festetics. Unfortunately, the Festetics Castle collection does not include a portrait of the countess, but a special portrait of her son is displayed in the exhibition. Although the statue of the elderly Széchenyi was created more than 30 years after Julianna Festetics’ death, the artwork recalls the union of the two historic families—the Széchényis and the Festetics—embodied in the statesman who carried forward the Festetics family’s dedication to serving the homeland through his mother.
Location and Display
The bronze bust of István Széchenyi is exhibited in the Green Salon of the Festetics Castle interior exhibition. The work originally belonged to the castle’s furnishings; archival photos from around 1940 show it placed on a desk in the grand library during the time of György III Festetics.
Artist: Hans Gasser (1817–1868)
The bronze bust was created by Austrian painter and sculptor Hans Gasser, as confirmed by the “HG” mark on the back of the sculpture. Gasser studied at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts and in Munich. He gained recognition primarily as a sculptor, creating famous architectural sculptures as well as portrait works. He worked across many European cities and died in Pest. Among his pupils in Vienna were Miklós Izsó and the future sculptor Károly Lotz.
Creation of the Bust
The modeling of Széchenyi’s bust began in August 1858 in Döbling. After sculpting the face in clay, the final piece was executed in white marble, with several bronze copies made, including the one displayed in the castle. Széchenyi mentions Gasser’s visits in his diary: on November 29, 1859, only the artist’s name, and on March 8, 1860, a month before Széchenyi’s death, when Gasser made the final touches: “Madame Gasser visited to finish it.” Széchenyi’s wife persuaded him to allow Gasser to make a statue of him for the family.
During the first sitting, Széchényi’s physician Rudolf Gussmann recalled: “The count protested, questioning why a being, bored even with his own uniqueness, should be immortalized in clay and marble. The count did not sit but paced the room, the countess seated in half-shadow, watching. The count was restless, the artist restless, only the countess tried to calm everyone with gentle words. As if the count said: ‘Is it worth the effort to immortalize my fleeting life in clay and marble?’”
Related Works
A lithograph by Austrian painter Josef Kriehuber was made based on Gasser’s sculpture, considered one of the best depictions of Széchenyi in old age. A copy of this print is held in the Helikon Library collection (inscription: “after Gasser”).
Kriehuber was known for portraits of Deák Ferenc, Liszt Ferenc, Beethoven, Schubert, and numerous politicians and aristocrats. In 1860, Károly Werfer’s press published Kriehuber’s portrait based on Gasser’s sculpture and also issued a lithograph from Ludwig Angerer’s photograph of the statue; a copy is also in the Helikon Library.
Most old-age portraits of Széchenyi created after his death were based on Gasser’s sculpture. The bust is not only of high artistic quality but also of great historical importance, as it is the only authentic portrait made from a living model after 1848.