A Hypocrite and a Slanderer 1765 - 1788

Franz Xaver Messerschmidt completed this bronze bust, A Hypocrite and a Slanderer, in the late 18th century. The figure’s downward gaze and furrowed brow convey an intense emotional state, a visual shorthand for guilt and shame. Consider the posture: the head bowed in a gesture of concealment. Across cultures, the downcast eyes can suggest humility, but also deception. We see echoes of this in medieval depictions of the biblical Eve, her head tilted in shame after tasting forbidden fruit. Yet, consider also the "Masks of Shame" worn in ancient theatrical performances, embodying moral failings. This iconography is more than a depiction of individual emotion. Such symbolic expressions resurface repeatedly in history, each time reflecting a culture's understanding of moral failings. The bust encapsulates how archetypal gestures carry immense psychological power, engaging us on a subconscious level with timeless human dramas.