Representation of one of Messerschmidt's 55 character heads, posthumously named Vexed Man" portraying a middle-aged man with a sour expression, which seems to fall somewhere between a grimace and a scowl thereby demonstrating Messerschmidt's profound talent at capturing a human gesture. Xavier Messerschmidt (1736-1783) learned the basics of Sculpture in Munich from his uncle Johann Baptist Straub, a prominent Rococo Sculptor.