Karl F. Schmidt Copper Bust Sculpture – Austria

This striking hand-chased copper bust is a masterwork of Austrian metalsmithing, crafted by Karl F. Schmidt, one of the most accomplished figures to emerge from the legendary Werkstätten Hagenauer tradition. Born in Vienna in 1948, Schmidt began his apprenticeship under Professor Franz Hagenauer in 1962, eventually rising to workshop manager and managing director before founding his own studio in 1987.

His primary works are sculptures hammered from sheet metal, and this bust exemplifies that mastery. The polished copper form is elongated and faceless in the modernist Hagenauer manner, animated by a cascade of free-form brass wire “hair” and a refined polished brass collar at the neck. The contrast between the warm, hand-hammered copper and the luminous brass accents is both sculptural and architectural. Stamped on the underside “Atelier Schmidt Wien” and “Made in Austria,” this is a rare and collectible example from Schmidt’s independent studio practice.