Grandfather's Relief

My grandfather was an artist and artisan who worked in all sorts of mediums. He used to build us large and elaborate kites, painted with brilliant acrylic paints - they'd look wonderful but didn't fly all that well.

When my mom asked what we would like as a wedding present, I said I really would like to have something that my grandfather had made. My mom looked around and sent me several options from which I should pick (obviously it would have to be something they could bring on the plane). The pieces included an abstract unfinished plaster statue of a reclining nude, a wooden marionette, a carved cuckoo clock and a plaster relief of a woman. The choice was quite difficult. We don't have any statues in the house yet and the one mom suggested was very "early Picasso". Wooden marionettes really are a trademark of my grand father's work and something that I and everyone who knew him identifies him by. The cuckoo clock used to hang (and I assume still does) in our house in Switzerland, so it would have been a reminder of that as well. And the relief reminded me of a much larger three-piece relief ("Grape Harvest") that used to hang on the wall in our apartment in Prague. Eventually, Jennifer and I decided on the relief, since we both liked it and it will look good in the house.

My mom gave it to us on the Saturday they arrived in Dallas. The relief is actually quite small, just about 12" wide and I am not sure what the five stars are supposed to symbolize. From the signature on the piece says P.F. 1945 VITEK J. Grandpa might have made it for (or around) New Year's 1945. That's the year that WWII ended as well as the same year my mom was born. I think my grandparents were in their early 30s around that time and would have already had two small daughters in war torn Prague.