Student Artwork Guide
Copyright This work is in the public domain. Balthasar Permoser died in 1732; copyright lasts 70 years after the artist’s death, so it ended in 1802.
In context
Torch Holders — Balthasar Permoser
Row above: the years. Row below: how old the artist was at the start and at the end of each span — 0 at birth, 81 at death.
Painted when the artist was 29. The artist lived to 81. 0 of the 8 dated works by this artist in our catalogue came earlier.
Shaded: the lifetime of Balthasar Permoser (1651–1732) ▲ this work, 1680 every dated painting, decade by decade
First works: up to 1689 Main working years: 1689–1700 Late works: from 1700
Those three bands split the works this catalogue has a date for into a first quarter, a middle half and a last quarter. They are not the artist’s complete output: a thin stretch may be a gap in the record rather than a quiet spell. The same years with the artist’s life laid along them
Pick one work above: name two things it shares with this one, and one thing that's different.
More works to set beside this one: topimpressionists.com/en/art/similar/balthasar-permoser-torch-holders-8XZT3E-en/
Measured from the image
Main colour
Phthalo Green #302320
Catalogued palette
These colours inside the artist’s whole palette Find other paintings by colour
The ten leading countries
Find the three darkest countries on the map. Is the museum that keeps this painting in any of them? Write down one reason people far away might look at it.
Together these works take 100.0% of all the attention this artist's paintings received over the last twelve months. The catalogue holds 10 works by this artist, of which 3 were looked at at least once. This painting has not been looked at yet in that time — it closes the list without a rank. The same counts, month by month
Bars measure attention, not quality. Pick the work at the top and this one: name one thing that might make a painting famous beyond how well it is painted.
Artist and museum
Born in Salzburg, Austria
Balthasar Permoser stands as one of the most commanding figures in the history of European sculpture, a virtuoso whose hands breathed life into marble, ivory, and stone. His artistic journey was a grand odyssey across the cultural heart of Europe, beginning in Salzburg. Born in Kammer bei Waging, his early training took place within the workshop of Wolf Weißenkirchner the Younger before he moved to Vienna, where he mastered the delicate and intricate art of ivory carving. This foundational period instilled in him a precision that would later allow him to navigate the transition from the dramatic intensity of the late Baroque to the more graceful, light-filled nuances of the early Rococo.
The maturation of Permoser’s style was profoundly shaped by his long sojourn in Florence. For fourteen years, he worked within the studio of Giovanni Battista Foggini, an experience that infused his German roots with the warmth and theatricality of the Italian tradition. This period of immersion allowed him to absorb the classical elegance and emotional depth necessary to create works that were not merely decorative, but profoundly narrative. His ability to blend these diverse influences—the meticulousness of ivory carving, the structural strength of German sculpture, and the fluid grace of Italian Baroque—set the stage for his rise as a premier sculptor of his generation.
Permoser’s career reached its zenith when he was called to Dresden in 1689 by Johann Georg III, Elector of Saxony. It was here that his monumental vision found its most enduring canvas. Working alongside the architect Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann, Permoser became a central figure in the creation of the Zwinger palace. His contributions to this architectural masterpiece are legendary; he provided the sculptural details for the Nymphenbad fountain and, most famously, sculpted the festive, flexing, and grimacing atlantes for the Wallpavillon. These figures, characterized by their muscular tension and expressive vitality, remain some of his most celebrated achievements, embodying the very essence of the Roman Baroque.
His reach extended far beyond the borders of Saxony, as evidenced by his significant works in other European centers:
In Salzburg, he sculpted the powerful atlantes for the west doorway of the Hofstallung.
During his time near Berlin, between 1704 and 1710, he contributed to the splendor of the Schloß Charlottenburg.
His masterpiece, the Apotheosis of Prince Eugene, created in the early 18th century, stands as a breathtaking marble testament to his ability to orchestrate theatrical, divine events in stone.
Throughout his life, Permoser’s work served as a powerful tool of political and spiritual propaganda, elevating historical figures to celestial heights. Whether capturing the agony of Marsyas or the seasonal personifications of winter, his sculptures possess an inimitable ability to capture both the physical form and the underlying emotional truth. He remains a pivotal figure whose evolving style bridged two eras, leaving behind a legacy of stone that continues to resonate with the grandeur of a bygone age.
topimpressionists.com/en/art/download/balthasar-permoser-torch-holders-8XZT3E-en/
Look closely
Torch Holders — Balthasar Permoser
Answer in your own words. There are no wrong answers here — only answers you can explain.
Write a short paragraph about this artwork. Use the facts from the earlier parts of this guide, and your answers above.
phthalo green (#302320) is the leading color of "Torch Holders" by Balthasar Permoser.
The palette of "Torch Holders" is muted in saturation.
"Torch Holders" by Balthasar Permoser was created in 1680.