Franz von Stuck was a German decorative painter and sculptor, best known for his Symbolist imagery and close attention to describing three-dimensional forms. Like another well-known Symbolist painter Arnold Böcklin, Von Stuck often chose mythological or Biblical subjects like Sisyphus or Salome, thereby lending his work elements of eroticism and anxiety. One hallmark of von Stuck’s oeuvre is his unique practice of handcrafting frames for each of his paintings, using delicate gilt work and colored patinas. Born on February 23, 1863 in Tettenweis, Germany, he went on to attend the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, graduating in 1885 and settling in in the city. Though von Stuck’s works became unfashionable by the turn of the century...