Laborer in a Stone Quarry

This cast bronze inkstand, sculpted by the German artist Ludwig Eisenberger, depicts a powerful, bare-chested man laboring in a stone quarry. The figure is captured in a dynamic pose, straining to move a massive boulder. At his feet lie a hammer and pickaxe, the tools of his trade. The inkwell is cleverly integrated into the rock formation behind him, while a pen tray is incorporated at the front.

Ludwig Eisenberger was a German sculptor active from around 1895 to 1920. He worked primarily in Berlin, where he created numerous bronze statuettes, many of which were produced by the Gladenbeck foundry. Eisenberger’s works often depicted male and female nudes and were distributed by the Magdeburg Kunstanstalt Reps & Trinte.