Gelada Mask

This imposing mask of a gelada belongs to a series of ten impressive animal masks the sculptor Max Esser created in the 1920s in Böttgersteinzeug®. Early on, Esser recognised in this special material all the sensual qualities that lend his sculptures such vitality. After successful firing, the velvety surface is polished and oiled, just as the material calls for. Thus brought to life, Esser’s wild animals roar and hiss an exoticism back at the world that once sought to cultivate all things alien. These tamed works of art certainly add to cultivated living. Their very size, expression, and the special qualities of the material make it impossible to avoid the spell of the gelada.