''Mephistopheles and Margaretta'' is a 19th-century wooden "double sculpture" of two characters from

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as trea ...

's 1808 play ''

Faust Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroads ...

''. The obverse depicts the demon

Mephistopheles Mephistopheles (, ), also known as Mephisto, is a demon featured in German folklore. He originally appeared in literature as the demon in the Faust legend, and he has since appeared in other works as a stock character (see: Mephistopheles in t ...

, and the reverse depicts a woman, Margaretta (Margaret, or Gretchen). A mirror placed behind the sculpture allows both sides to be seen simultaneously.

Background

The statue reflects the themes of good and evil in Goethe's ''Faust''. In the play,

is frustrated with his life and attempts suicide. He calls for

Satan Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as Devil in Christianity, the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an non-physical entity, entity in the Abrahamic religions ...

's help, and the demon Mephistopheles, an agent of Satan, responds. Faust is told that Mephistopheles will serve him as long as he lives, but after his death, Faust would forfeit his soul and become enslaved forever. He agrees, making a

deal with the Devil A deal with the Devil (also called a Faustian bargain or Mephistophelian bargain) is a cultural motif exemplified by the legend of Faust and the figure of Mephistopheles, as well as being elemental to many Christian traditions. According to ...

, and as one of his requests for magic, Mephistopheles seduces a young woman named Gretchen (Margaretta) for Faust. She is impregnated by Faust and gives birth to his bastard son. Gretchen realizes the evil in the situation and drowns the child, and is held in jail on the charge of murder. Gretchen is hanged but is allowed to go to heaven; Faust is also saved by God because of Gretchen's pleadings. Christopher Marlowe play "Doctor Faustus", first performed in 1592, during the height of the Renaissance, also represents Mephistopheles, but in a different light than does Goethe's "Faust". In another literary text, where the figures of Margaretta and Mephistopheles features is in "The Master & Margarita" by Mikhail Bulgakov, which was written between 1928 and 1940, but not published until 1966.

Sculpture

The 19th-century sculpture was created by an unknown French sculptor, carved into a block of

sycamore Sycamore is a name which has been applied to several types of trees, but with somewhat similar leaf forms. The name derives from the ancient Greek ' (''sūkomoros'') meaning "fig-mulberry". Species of trees known as sycamore: * ''Acer pseudoplata ...

wood. The obverse is a depiction of a confident and arrogant Mephistopheles, wearing a hood and boots, and with a smirk on his long face. The reverse is of Gretchen with her head bowed, appearing as a simple girl with downcast eyes. The statue is carved from one single block of wood and is exhibited with a mirror placed behind it, allowing viewers to observe both sides at the same time. The

dichotomy A dichotomy is a partition of a whole (or a set) into two parts (subsets). In other words, this couple of parts must be * jointly exhaustive: everything must belong to one part or the other, and * mutually exclusive: nothing can belong simulta ...

of good and evil is emphasized by the innocence of the female figure, a demure woman holding a prayer book in her hand, contrasting with the depiction of evil exemplified by Mephistopheles. One of the major attractions of the Museum's European Art Section, the dimensions of the statue is 177.2 cm, and it has been presumably been created around the late 19th century, in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, and the base material is

wood. The sculpture represents the thin line that exists between the binary between good and evil as represented by Margaretta and Mephistopheles, respectively. The male image stands proud in a hooded cloak, heeled boots and has a long, gaunt face with a cynical smile, while Margaretta is shown as a shy, simple girl with a prayer book in her hand, and downcast eyes, lost in love. The statue was acquired by Mir Turab Ali Khan, Salar Jung II, in 1876, during his travels in France, and perhaps remains one of the most photographed images of the museum. The sculpture, now resides in the

Salar Jung Museum The Salar Jung Museum is an art museum located at Dar-ul-Shifa, on the southern bank of the Musi River, India, Musi River in the city of Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It is one of the List of museums in India, notable National Museums of India. ...

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...

, India. The museum is one of the most visited in the country, and claims one million visitors annually. While the identity of this superb neo-classical sculpture remains unknown, yet the choice of such a German archetype for a French statue reveals how post-1870, there was a surging interest in German things and topics in countries like France, etc.

References

External links

Video of Mephistopheles and Margaretta Sculpture
{{Faust 19th-century sculptures Fictional tricksters Sculptures based on literature Statues in India Statues of fictional characters Theatre characters Works based on Goethe's Faust Collections of the Salar Jung Museum

Background

Sculpture

See also

References

External links