Gustinus Ambrosi, despite his Italian descent, was born in Eisenstadt, Austria, in February 1893. His initial passion for music was unfortunately hindered by a childhood illness that caused him to lose his hearing at the age of seven. Instead, Ambrosi focused his creative and artistic talents on drawing and sculpture.

By 1925, the volume and span of Ambrosi's work had become truly remarkable, ranging from portraiture to symbolist and figurative work. Certain sculptures, such as Cain, (which can be viewed in the monumental size at the Belvedere Museum in Vienna) were compared to the work of Michelangelo for their emotional charge and strong musculature. This reduced version was produced in a very small edition for the collector's market and despite its size, still manages to convey the power and anguish of Cain, the son of Adam and Eve, who killed his brother, Abel, over his jealousy of God's favouritism and is forced to wander the world forever. Ambrosi is often described as the Austrian Rodin and in the strength of his modelling and his ability to see beauty in imperfection and torment, it's easy to see why the description is so apt.

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