Frane Cota
(1898 – 1951)
King Tomislav, 1925
bronze, casting
368 x 258 mm
MG-2892-768

Frane Cota was a sculptor and architect who graduated from the Academy in Vienna in 1924 and later completed his architectural studies in Zagreb in 1929. He spent brief periods in Prague, Paris, and Italy. From 1934 to 1950, he taught architectural drawing at the Faculty of Engineering in Zagreb, and from 1941, he also served as a drawing professor at the Higher Pedagogical School in Zagreb.
Cota was a prominent figure in Croatian modern art. Although he primarily identified as a sculptor, he was equally successful as an architect, approaching space with a functionalist mindset and a sculptor’s sensitivity to volume. In his early sculptural work, he was influenced by the Viennese Secession and by Ivan Meštrović, but soon evolved toward a modernist form of realism. His body of work includes portraits, nudes, figures, and reliefs. He also created medals and plaques, among which the King Tomislav plaque from 1925 stands out, made to commemorate the 1000th anniversary of the Croatian Kingdom.
The shallow relief of this plaque features an idealized depiction of the legendary Croatian King Tomislav. Seated on a throne and turned to the left, the king is portrayed wearing a crown and a mantle draped over his shoulders. He holds a sceptre in his right hand and a royal orb in his left, resting on the upper edge of a shield bearing the Croatian coat of arms. The plaque has raised edges, and along the wider lower edge the years 925 – 1925 are inscribed.

Text: Tatijana Gareljić, Museum Advisor, National Museum of Modern Art © National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb
Photo: Goran Vranić © National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb