The end of the court artists under Emperor Charles I
Arnold Hartig (1878-1972) was the last of the artists associated with the court. After training and studying, he worked as a freelance artist in Vienna from 1902. The year 1945 brought a deep break when his Viennese studio was destroyed and looted. Another low point was the end of his artistic activity at the beginning of the 1960s as a result of an eye condition.
Hartig initially adopted the Art Nouveau repertoire of forms in Vienna, which was characterised by the Secession. The First World War opened up a wide field of activity with propagandistic medals for the War Welfare Office. His late creative period was also characterised by remarkable productivity. Hartig's oeuvre comprises almost 600 medals and plaques, several coins, some larger sculptures, a life-size relief and busts as well as numerous commemorative plaques and reliefs (e.g. Arcaded Courtyard of the University of Vienna).
Arnold Hartig was well on his way to becoming an imperial and royal chamber medallist. The medal for the planned accession of Charles I (reigned 1916-1918), the last emperor of Austria and his wife Zita, was decisive. Its obverse shows their profile busts. Charles is dressed in a uniform and coat, Zita wears a diadem, a dress and a double-row pearl necklace - the Hungarian coronation gift. The reverse shows a group of people from different social classes and ages. In July 1917, portrait sessions of the imperial couple took place at Villa Wartholz in Reichenau an der Rax in Lower Austria. Studies for Zita's jewellery were carried out in Laxenburg, also in Lower Austria. Due to the events of the war, however, the work was never completed. In his memoirs, the artist reports: "But before the medal was finished at the mint, the emperor had already abdicated. Neither majesty saw this medal again. As a fee, I was paid a considerable amount by the subsequent municipal administration, but late, which was completely devalued by inflation."
Exhibition "Imperial Impressions: The Emperors and their Court Artists" (since 13 February 2024) at the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna
