page_title: Václav Levý
section_title: Career in Rome, Vienna, and back to Prague
hierarchical_section_title: Václav Levý / Biography / Career in Rome, Vienna, and back to Prague
caption_attribution_description: Čeština: Pískovcové reliéfy Čertovy hlavy nad obcí Želízy, okres Mělník English: Devils's Heads - sandstone reliefs near village of Želízy, Mělník District, Czech Republic
context_page_description: Václav Levý, also known as Wenzel Lewy, was a Czech sculptor; considered to be one of the pioneers of the modern style in his country.
context_section_description: Veith fell into financial difficulties and died suddenly in 1853, but Levý was able to survive as a free-lance sculptor and soon received a commission from the Sisters of Mercy Hospital near Petřín Hill in Prague. Ultimately, however, he decided that he could not compete in the local sculpture market (which was dominated by the brothers Josef and Emanuel Max), so he applied for and received a stipendium to study in Rome. This proved to be his most fruitful period and his contacts there led to several large commissions in Vienna.
  Because of health problems (believed to be liver disease), he returned to Bohemia in 1867. He was given contracts for decorating the tympanum at the Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius and sculptural adornments for St. Vitus Cathedral, but his worsening health gradually decreased his ability to work and he came to rely on his best student, Josef Václav Myslbek, whom he had met in Vienna.
  He died of his illness in 1870 and was buried in Vyšehrad cemetery.
caption: Devil's Heads, gigantic sculptures in sandstone rocks near Klácelka, outside the village of Želízy[4]
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