Wall plate - Cast iron - The pursuit of happiness

The annual plaque was designed for the Kunstgießerei Lauchhammer and explores the human quest for happiness in the face of life's transience.

The motif depicts a crowd reaching out with outstretched arms towards a floating Fortuna, the Roman goddess of luck and chance.
Symbolism: Above this scene, which unfolds over an implied globe, death with a scythe and hourglass dominates. It essentially commands a halt and emphasizes that the pursuit of happiness is unequal and that the outcome of the race is determined by death.

Historical context: Moshage created this work amidst the 'Golden Twenties' and erected a wisely conceived monument at the turn of 1927, capturing the societal mood of that time.