Max Bezner (1872–1939) was a prominent German sculptor and landscape painter, who made a name for himself particularly through portraits of prominent figures of the German Empire and the Weimar Republic. Bezner lived and worked in Berlin, where he regularly exhibited at the Great Berlin Art Exhibition – among other works, with his well-known plaster bust of Kaiser Wilhelm II from the years 1914/1916.

An outstanding example of his work is the signed and dated terracotta bust of Kaiser Wilhelm II from 1928, which depicts the "old Kaiser" in uniform with four medals. This bust was commissioned for Huis Doorn, Wilhelm II's place of exile, and is exemplary of Bezner's close connection to the Majolika workshop in Cadinen, which was known for its high-quality ceramic works in an imperial context.

The terracotta bust is in excellent condition and was part of a private art collection for many years. It impressively documents the connection between portrait art, historical representation, and material culture of the German Empire. For collectors of imperial memorabilia, museums with a monarchical focus, and lovers of German sculpture of the early 20th century, it represents a particularly valuable object.