Pedro Anjos Teixeira (1908-1997), The Cellist, Dated 1964

This dated and signed plaster cast is the work of the renowned Portuguese sculptor whose house-museum is now an essential stop on any visit to Sintra, Portugal. His observation of his father’s work, also a sculptor, and of nature led him to become a virtuoso anatomist. His human and animal sculptures were admired from a very early age for their precision and rigor. Persecuted by the PIDE (Portuguese secret police), he did not win any sculpture competitions during the 1950s. Therefore, in 1959, he decided to go into exile in Funchal, where he pursued various activities, including teaching, sculpture, music, and journalism.

He returned to Sintra in 1980, where he died, leaving behind a body of work comprising more than 900 pieces.