The figurine group bronze statuette "Man and His Genius" by Auguste Rodin, created around 1896, depicts a man from whom a small female genius with wings is escaping, symbolizing artistic inspiration. This small sculpture is closely linked to the works of two significant literary figures: on one hand, Rainer Maria Rilke, who played a major role in popularizing Rodin in Germany with his writings and specifically wrote the poem "Nike" about this bronze. On the other hand, it is connected to Hugo von Hofmannsthal, who discovered the plaster model in Rodin's studio during his trip to Paris in 1900 and immediately commissioned its bronze casting. For 20 years, "Man and His Genius" stood on Hofmannsthal's desk in Rodaun near Vienna to inspire him. When he fell into financial difficulties, it was again Rilke who facilitated the sale of the bronze to the Swiss collector Werner Reinh.