Gustav Klimt’s Faculty Paintings—Philosophy(1900), Medicine (1901), and Jurisprudence (1903)—form one of the most controversial trilogies in modern art. Originally commissioned for the University of Vienna, these monumental works shocked the public with their dark symbolism, fragmented bodies, and unsettling depictions of human suffering. Philosophy dissolves humanity into a cosmic swirl, Medicine confronts the fragility of life through a towering column of naked figures, and Jurisprudence shows humanity trapped and judged by inescapable forces. Their radical style and pessimistic worldview caused such outrage that the university rejected them, and the paintings were later destroyed in 1945—surviving today only through photographs that reveal how far Klimt was willing to push both art and society.
TitleJurisprudence (Jurisprudenz) — third of the University of Vienna Ceiling Paintings / Faculty Paintings (Fakultätsbilder)
ArtistGustav Klimt (Austrian Symbolist; co-founder and first president of the Vienna Secession 1897; Baumgarten near Vienna, 14 July 1862 - Vienna, 6 February 1918)
Year of creation1903-1907 (the third and final painting of the cycle that Klimt and his early collaborator Franz Matsch had been commissioned in 1894 by the Austrian Ministry of Education to paint for the ceiling of the University of Vienna's Great Hall, with the three Faculty Paintings allegorising the disciplines of Philosophy, Medicine and Jurisprudence; the central Theology panel was assigned to Matsch. Klimt first completed Jurisprudence in 1903 and exhibited it at the Eighteenth Secession exhibition that same year — together with Philosophy and Medicine, the only occasion on which the three Faculty Paintings were shown together in their final state — and continued to revise it lightly until 1907. The composition departs entirely from the conventional allegory of triumphant justice. In the lower zone, a haggard, naked condemned man — emaciated, hunched, his head sunk into his shoulders — is engulfed by a great squamous octopus-like sea monster and embraced by three siren-like female Furies, the writhing forces of guilt, vengeance and the unconscious. Above and behind, separated by a vast spatial gulf in a flat, gold-and-mosaic upper register, the three classical goddesses of Truth [Veritas], Justice [Justitia], and Law [Lex] look on impassively. The deliberate distance between the small high goddesses and the much larger tortured prisoner is Klimt's biting critique of the inadequacy of human judgement and punishment. As with the other Faculty Paintings, the work was attacked as "pornographic" and "perverted excess." After 87 university faculty signed a petition against the cycle and the Ministry refused to install the paintings in the Great Hall, Klimt resigned the commission in 1905 — reportedly threatening the Ministry's removal staff with a shotgun to keep the canvases — and repaid the 30,000-crown advance with the support of his patron August Lederer. Provenance after the artist: Klimt; sold to Koloman Moser between 1910 and 1912; sold by the Moser family in 1919; acquired by the industrialist August Lederer, who already owned Philosophy; confiscated by the Nazis from the Lederer family after the 1938 Anschluss; transferred for safekeeping to Schloss Immendorf in 1944, where it was burned the following May)
Technique/MediumOil on canvas (with gold and metal leaf in the upper register, characteristic of Klimt's Golden Phase)
Original dimensions430 x 300 cm (the same large vertical format as Philosophy and Medicine)
Collection/MuseumDestroyed (the painting was burned by retreating SS forces in the fire at Schloss Immendorf in Lower Austria on 8 May 1945, along with Klimt's other two Faculty Paintings, Philosophy and Medicine; the work survives only through black-and-white documentary photographs, preparatory color sketches, a single partial color photograph, and related drawings)
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Customer Reviews
Overall rating: 4.8 / 5 from 1685 reviews.
The print was a very good quality. It looked just like it did online I couldn’t be happier.
We made our first purchase from Inspiraggio, The Beheading of St John the Baptist | Caravaggio | 1608.
We absolutely love it. The quality and framing are amazing. It changes the whole room.
Thanks!!!
I ordered two paintings from Inspiraggio, and both are of incredible quality and remarkably faithful to the originals. The canvas and frame both feel sturdy, and the level of detail is truly impressive. I’m delighted with my purchases and would definitely order from them again in the future
Very pretty. I knew I had to have 'Vanity' when I saw it. 'The Great Red Dragon...' is... great as well. Both quality prints, really like how they look in my apartment.
It's a masterpiece! It really fits the horror theme of my office room. It scares my wife but that what I was going for. I will definitely order more photos, not just for me but as gifts as well. I already have "the laughing fool" picture on the way. Thank you guys
Very poorly packaged—thin cardboard; I don't know how it survived shipping. The stretcher frame is too weak, leaving the canvas sagging and barely taut; at least one extra crossbar needs to be added to get the tension up to an acceptable standard. Check pictures, description diameters for package was overestimated few cm.
Beautiful reproduction of Salvator Mundi. The quality of the artwork and framing are excellent, and I am very happy with the finished piece.
I also want to commend Inspiraggio's customer service for being exceptionally helpful and accommodating when I experienced a shipping issue. I will happily purchase from them again.
I begin this review by recognising Inspiraggio’s excellent customer service. When one of two prints I ordered around the same time became delayed (the post office having dallied, misplaced it, or simply needed a kick up the whatsie), I contacted their team. They were straight onto it, offering to replace the print if it failed to arrive. They then contacted their courier, who in turn got in touch with Australia Post, and the package was delivered promptly. Throughout the process Inspiraggio’s staff kept me informed, and I could not rate their dedication to the customer any higher.
Now to the prints themselves.
Caspar David Friedrich’s best-known work is Wanderer above the Sea of Fog, yet here I chose Abbey in the Oakwood for its mood and tones. I am drawn to pieces that are stark, mysterious and dark. Is it a meditation on permanence, or does it simply resonate with those who value solitude? Who can say. Either way, it is a wonder. It also complements another piece I purchased from Inspiraggio after being introduced to the little-known Belgian artist Léon Spilliaert: Faun by Moonlight. Again the tones are dark, and it speaks directly to the somnambulist in me. Mysterious, haunting and evocative, it offers a quiet solace to those of us primed for solitude.
William Holbrook Beard’s For What Was I Created resonates with me deeply. What begins as Victorian-style satire and humour opens into far deeper questions about society. I identify with this monkey through my own experiences at work and in the pursuit of politics—where society, the politics of the office, and the state itself reduce us to creatures of entertainment, or clowns to be ridiculed. It is a profound painting.
I have Inspiraggio’s YouTube channel to thank for most of the artwork I’ve purchased since I began collecting prints. This time I splurged on Elihu Vedder’s The Questioner of the Sphynx as a 12 × 9 framed canvas. Living in a small studio apartment means space is limited, but careful space management has let me keep expanding the collection by downsizing when necessary. Would I prefer the largest canvas available? Of course. Yet the impact is far from lost at this scale.
The painting speaks to me through its existential symbolism. Not far from the questioner’s feet lies the skull of another seeker. Lately I’ve begun to wonder what question is actually being asked—whether it concerns existence itself, or simply the origins of the Sphinx—because the unanswered question is what continues to plague the seeker.
This is so much fun.
Seeing how similar Franz Sedlaceck's "Library" is to my own farmhouse library; I simply had to have it hanging over the fireplace.
I thoroughly enjoy the different artists and works you expose us to and genuinely appreciate the thoughtful commentary and excellence of each presentation.
Awesome product, excellent service. Arrived quickly in perfect condition. We love this piece and have been lucky enough to see it in real life - and now get to look at it every day.
Hurrah!
Keep up the great work Inspiraggio!!
Here's 'The Last Days of Pompeii' above a work-in-progress videogame console cabinet. I'm a total history nut and I've long been fascinated by what happened in Pompeii, so I had to get this. I love how dark and dramatic it is.
The cover is absolutely beautiful and very well made. It’s so lightweight that it almost feels like it isn’t even there!
I absolutely love it, and as someone who is obsessed with phone cases (I’m constantly changing them 😂), I’ll definitely be buying more!