American & European Art

Provenance:

Gift from the Artist to the present owners

Lot note:

The present lot, which depicts Petar II Petrović Njegoš (1813-1851) with an eagle on his shoulder, is a study for Ivan Meštrović's 28-tonne granite statue of the Montegrin leader. The finished sculpture resides in a mausoleum designed by the artist and constructed in 1971. Located atop Mount Lovćen, it is the highest mausoleum in the world at 5,738 feet.

Petar II Petrović-Njegoš, commonly referred to simply as Njegoš, was a Prince-Bishop of Montenegro, as well as a poet and philosopher whose works are widely considered some of the most important in Montenegrin and Serbian literature. Following his death in 1851, Njegoš’ remains were transferred to Mount Lovćen, where he had requested to be buried prior to his death. At the end of the Second World War, Yugoslavia came under Communist rule and in 1952 communist authorities decided to replace Njegoš's Byzantine chapel with a secular mausoleum designed by Meštrović, which includes the final bronze version of the present sculpture.