Dorschner, Series Of Three Allegorical Male Figures

A. G. DORSCHNER
active 1930–1955 in Austria

SERIES OF THREE MALE ALLEGORICAL FIGURES PERSONIFYING GERMANY, SWITZERLAND AND AUSTRIA

Watercolour on paper
each approx. 30.5 × 16.5 cm / 12 × 6.5 in
each with mount: 36 × 18 cm / 14.2 × 7.1 in unframed

This highly decorative series of three male allegorical figures personifies Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Conceived as symbolic embodiments rather than portraits, the figures stand in quiet dignity, each defined by stylised Alpine costume that immediately anchors them within a shared cultural geography.

It is particularly noteworthy that Dorschner chose traditional Alpine attire to represent these nations. Rather than relying on heraldic attributes or overt national emblems, the artist turns to regional dress as a unifying visual language. The garments — simplified yet carefully articulated — function not merely as ethnographic detail, but as carriers of identity and cultural continuity.

Visible traces of pencil grid lines across the sheets strongly suggest that the drawings were intended for transfer onto a larger surface. Such gridding was a standard technique used to scale preparatory designs for mural execution. These works therefore appear to be cartoons or preparatory studies for a monumental wall painting.

This interpretation is further supported by the deliberate monumentalisation of volume. The figures are constructed with broad masses and simplified modelling, allowing them to retain clarity and legibility when viewed from a distance. The restrained detailing and accentuated verticality enhance their decorative presence, reinforcing their suitability for architectural integration.

In this series, graphic precision and monumental intention converge. The works stand not only as autonomous watercolours, but as fragments of a larger decorative programme rooted in the Alpine regions of Austria and Bavaria, where mural traditions remained culturally significant well into the 20th century.