Bronze Age Gold from Wales

Lenz studied with Gustav Klimt at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Vienna and in 1897 was a co-founder of the Vienna Secession. In 1903 he accompanied Klimt on a visit to Ravenna, where both artists were deeply impressed by the hieratic style and decorative use of gold in the Byzantine mosaics. This allegorical figure of 'Spring' accompanied by a peacock dates from around 1904. At the left a couple in contemporary dress watch four dancing nymphs. Its large scale suggests that this work was intended for an architectural setting.