Jugenstil

Franz Xavier Bergmann

English Bulldog

Cold-Painted & Patinated Bronze

Vienna, Austria, ca. 1900

ABOUT SCULPTURE

This great Austrian Jugenstil desk-size cold-painted and patinated bronze sculpture of English bulldog has all the necessary qualities to be loved by a new owner – it absolutely life-like and has very expressive eyes. 

DIMENSIONS

Height 3.25 inches Width 2 7/16 inches Depth 5.5 inches

MARKINGS

Noted for his detailed and colorful work, Bergman was signing his creations with either a "B" in an urn-shaped cartouche, or "Nam Greb" - for "Bergman" in reverse (these marks used to disguise his identity on the erotic works). They are also often inscribed ‘Geschutzt’, which refers to the model/design being ‘registered’ or copyrighted; or not marked at all, especially if the pieces are miniatures. 

ABOUT ARTIST

Franz Xavier Bergmann (Austrian, 1861-1936) was the owner of a Viennese foundry who produced numerous patinated and cold-painted bronze, cold painted bronze refers to pieces cast in Vienna and then decorated in several layers with so-called dust paint; oriental, erotic and animal figures, the latter often humanized or whimsical and often humorous objet d'art. The color was not fired hence "cold painted". Mainly women working at home, a typical cottage industry, carried out the painting. The expertise for the mix of this kind of paint has been lost since.

$1,800

Dutch Modernism

Hugo Lisberg

Striding Giraffe

Patinated Bronze

ca. 1955

DIMENSIONS Height: 15.75 inches Width: 7 inches Depth: 20.5 inches 

ABOUT SCULPTURE

An incredibly graceful depiction of an animal beloved by everyone in the interpretation of the famous Danish master of the last century, Hugo Liisberg attracts the viewer's eye with the amazingly natural dynamics of the pose and the unique elegance of the forms inherent to this particular artistr, because of which he gained fame as an outstanding animal sculptor. 

ABOUT ARTIST

Hugo Liisberg (Dutch, 1896 – 1958) was a self-taught sculptor and completed his apprenticeship at the Royal Copenhagen Porcelain Manufactury in 1915. He followed by studying at the Bourdelles School in Paris in 1920. Inspired from his mother’s country, Sweden, from his numerous visits during childhood, his sculpture and design often take forms from nature. Often Liisberg would visit the zoo to study the animals for his sculptures, which show in his work's high level of realism. In 1930, he began working with Nathalie Krebs, founder of Saxbo, a company which focused on the stoneware that held his interest so much. In the 40's he designed four jewelry pieces for Georg Jensen, all brooches, which are similar to Arno Malnowski's works, however are easily differentiated by the greater detail present in Liisberg's work. He was awarded a gold medal by the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and the Eckersberg Medal in 1942.

$5,800

Novecento

Sirio Tofanari

Panther

Patinated Bronze Sculpture

Italy, ca. 1920

DIMENSIONS Height: 8.5 inches Width: 3.5 inches Depth:  6.5 inches 

SIRIO TOFANARI (Italian, 1886 – 1969), one of the most important sculptors-animalists of his era, was born in Florence in 1886, the son and grandson of ornamental sculptors and younger brother of the painter and sculptor Salvino Tofanari. Like his father and elder brother, whom he accompanied from a young age when they went hunting on the family estates, Sirio studied at the Florence Academy of Art, attending life classes there from 1902 to 1907.  

Orphaned at sixteen, he fell in love at eighteen with a woman some years older than himself, and in 1907 eloped with her to Paris and then to London to avoid quarrels with his two brothers. His vocation as a sculptor of animals revealed itself in London, as he went daily to study the animals at the zoo and regularly visited the Natural History Museum.  

His subsequent claim to have been self-taught must refer to these years of intense observation, upon which he based his artistic career. Already acquainted with animals in the wild from his early hunting expeditions, he became increasingly fascinated by the animal world as he advanced in maturity. 

After showing what must have been a drawing with the title ‘Laborers at work’ in Florence in 1906, Tofanari began to exhibit in several other Italian cities during his years in Paris and London: in 1908 he exhibited in both Faenza, where he attracted favorable attention, and Turin. In 1909, he was present at the Venice Biennale, where his sculpture of two panthers displaying affection, ‘The caress’, was acquired by the Gallery of Modern Art in Florence.  

From 1914, his work was also regularly included in exhibitions in Rome, and he had solo exhibitions at both the 3rd and the 4th Rome Biennale, ensuring that he gained wide recognition as the foremost exponent of the Animalier school in Italy by the 1920s. He had by then exhibited internationally: in Barcelona, where one of his sculptures (now in the Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona) was bought in 1911, and in Buenos Aires and San Francisco. 

When a new building was planned for the thermal springs at the fashionable Tuscan resort of Montecatini, Tofanari was given the commission for the central fountain. Known as the ‘Fountain of the Crocodiles’, it is characteristically based on observation from life of its tropical subject, but dominated by a decorative scheme that includes stylized sea-horses and ornamental motifs that hark back to Art Nouveau.  

The year of its inauguration, 1928, was also marked by a personal exhibition of the artist’s work in Brussels, opened by Queen Elisabeth of the Belgians. The presence of this prominent supporter of the arts, who bought from the show for her own collection, is evidence of Tofanari’s considerable reputation at that time. In 1937, he moved to Milan, where there was demand for his work from private patrons, but his house, his studio and its contents were destroyed during an Allied bombing raid in 1942.  

His final years were spent modeling reliefs of religious scenes, but even then his interest in animals remained apparent (‘The sacred pelican’, 1961). He died in Milan in 1969.

sold

Austrian Jugenstil

Franz Bergman

A Cat

Vienna Bronze Miniature Desk Sculpture

ca. 1900

 Dimensions:

Height: 1-7/8 inches         Width: 3-1/2 inches         Depth: 1-1/4 inches

This highly collectible miniature desk sculpture of a cat is made of cold-painted bronze in the best traditions of the world-famous Viennese foundry of Franz Xavier Bergman. It is fully hallmarked with ‘Geschutzt’ and amphora-shaped cartouche with initial ‘B’ inside.

The black-gray-white coloration of the cat looks so natural that, if it were not for the miniature size of the figurine, one would imagine that it is alive.

Franz Xaver Bergman (1861–1936) was the owner of a Viennese foundry who produced numerous patinated and cold-painted bronze oriental, erotic and animal figures, the latter often humanized or whimsical, humorous objects d'art. Cold painted bronze refers to pieces cast in Vienna and then decorated in several layers with so-called dust paint; the expertise for the mix of this kind of paint has been lost. The color was not fired hence "cold painted". Mainly women working at home, a typical cottage industry, carried out the painting. Noted for his detailed and colorful work, Bergman was signing his creations with either a "B" in an urn-shaped cartouche, or "Nam Greb" - for "Bergman" in reverse. These marks used to disguise his identity on the erotic works.

$800 

Charles Umlauf

Hippo

Patinated Bronze Sculpture

1940s

Dimensions:         Height: 21 ½”         Width: 10”          Depth: 5”

CHARLES UMLAUF (1911 – 1994) was an American sculptor and teacher who was born in South Haven, Michigan. His sculptures can be found in churches, numerous public institutions, outdoor locations, and museums, including the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, as well as in many private collections. Umlauf received a number of accolades, including a Guggenheim Fellowship and a Ford Foundation Grant. In 1941, Umlauf accepted a position at the University of Texas School of Art in Austin, Texas, where he taught for 40 years. Artists teaching at UT included Loren Mozley, Everett Spruce, Kelly Fearing, Seymour Fogel, and William Lester. Umlauf retired as Professor Emeritus in 1981. In 1985, he and his wife Angeline Allen Umlauf gave their Austin home, Umlauf’s studio, and 168 sculptures to the City of Austin. Based on this gift and considerable community support, the Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum was founded and opened its doors in 1991 as at 605 Robert E Lee Road in Austin, Texas. The Umlauf is a private-public partnership with the City of Austin.

SOLD

Vintage Hand-Carved

Red Coral Sculpture of Swans

China, 20th Century

Dimensions:

Height: 4 inches         Width: 6 inches         Depth: 3 inches

 Weight:

 A vintage, beautifully and meticulously hand-carved solid red coral sculpture, depicting a swan mother and a swan-child peacefully gliding across the water among thickets.

China, the 20th century.

sold

Franz Xavier Bergman

Lizard

Vienna Bronze Sculptural Paperweight

Circa 1900

Marked with "B" in an urn-shaped cartouche.

 Dimensions:

Length: 10 inches         Height: 1.5 inches           Width: 6 inches

 This real size life-like bronze lizard desk paperweight is a perfect example of the little masterpieces in cold-painted bronze, created by the world-famous Viennese foundry of Franz Xavier Bergman.

 Franz Xaver Bergman (1861–1936) was the owner of a Viennese foundry who produced numerous patinated and cold-painted bronze - Oriental, erotic and animal figures, the latter often humanized or whimsical, humorous objects d'art. Cold painted bronze refers to pieces cast in Vienna and then decorated in several layers with so called dust paint; the know-how for the mix of this kind of paint has been lost. The color was not fired hence "cold painted". The painting was carried out mainly by women working at home, a typical cottage industry. Noted for his detailed and colorful work, Bergman was signing his creations with either a "B" in an urn-shaped cartouche, or "Nam Greb" - for "Bergman" in reverse. These marks were used to disguise his identity on the erotic works.

$3500

Signed, "Anna Hyatt". Further impressed "Gorham CO. O 492", and further impressed #358. In good condition, consistent with age. Original patina.

Dimensions:

Height: 5.5 inches         Width: 15.5 inches         Depth: 4.5 inches

Sculpted by Anna Vaughn Hyatt Huntington during the American Art Nouveau era (circa 1915), the bronze sculpture "Yawning Panther" was cast by Gorham Co. Founders. The identical sculpture is photographed in "The Gorham Company, Famous Small Bronze" ©1928, pg. 15.

A yawning and fully outstretched panther finished in patinated bronze, resting atop a black Belgium marble plinth. Yawning Panther demonstrates the realism of Huntington's art in pose, detail, and style. Rather than showing her subject stalking a prey, she has caught the panther in an intimate moment as it stretches in a wide-mouthed yawn with its front legs tautly extended and its tail elegantly arched. Her skill in the lost-wax method of casting bronze is evident in the texture and wrinkles of the animal's fur. Although the scale of the work is small, the work conveys great strength and graceful movement.

Anna Hyatt Huntington (1876 - 1973) was a prolific artist known for her bronze animal sculptures. By combining classical features with modern abstract trends, Huntington developed a distinct style that captured the spirit of her subjects, such as Yawning Panther. Huntington developed her intense attention to detail through close observation of animals at zoos, circuses, live animal shows, and farms. These experiences enabled her to create intimate portraits of domestic and wild animals and heroic equestrian monuments.

Yawning Panther depicts a panther during a quiet moment. It stretches its full length, crosses its front legs, and opens its jaws in a thoroughly convincing yawn. The curve of the panther’s bold head balances its elegant, taut tail and leads the eye over its muscular body. With highly tactile fur and wrinkles in evidence, Yawning Panther demonstrates Huntington’s skill with the lost-wax method of bronze casting.

sold

- Austrian Jugenstil -

A Pair of Vienna Bronze

Candle Holders

or Bud Vases with Dragonflies

Ca. 1900

Dimensions: Height: 8 inches            Width (max.): 2 1/2 inches

               The Vienna Bronze foundries have been in existence since 1850, and since then the Viennese cold-painted bronzes are famous and distinguished by their naturalistic and detailed representation of human figures, and all species of animals and insects. Cold-painting on bronze was a technique most popular in Austria during the Art Nouveau and Art Deco periods. Bronze figures, most of them made in Vienna, were actually covered with enamel paint. Each piece has approximately 5 to 10 coats of paint, normally of the naturalistic colors, and then skillfully patinated, or gilded.

$2,650

Swedish Art Deco Bronze Sculpture

of a Nude Femme Scarred by Mouse

by Carin Nilsson, Ca. 1933

Made with great artistic skill in the unmistakably North European Art Deco esthetics, and exhibiting excellent casting quality, this very elegant sculpture also draws attention of the viewer to the originality and absolute none-triviality and humor of the composition - a splendid nude young woman froze in complete immobility, frightened to death by the little mouse in front of her on the floor, also frozen startled. Signed by the artist on the base, and dated 1933.

Dimensions: Height: 10 3/4 inches            Width: 5 inches            Depth: 3 7/8 inches

                                          Carin Johanna Nilsson (Swedish, 1884 - 1973) was a famous Swedish sculptor and visual artist. Born on September 13, 1884 in Styra, Östergötland, she was the daughter of the inspector Sigfrid Nilson and Hanna Seidlitz. Nilson studied in New York in 1922-1923; and in 1925-1927 at the Gottfrid Larsson's art school, as well as an extra student at the Art Academy in Stockholm. In 1928-1930, she was a student at the Académie Colarossi and at the Académie de la Grande Chaumiere in Paris, where her teachers were Charles Despiau, Henry Arnold and Antoine Bourdelle. During the studie, the artist made extensive trips to the Netherlands, England and Belgium. Karin Nilsson participated in group exhibitions with Östgöta Art Association, the Swedish Public Art Association and the Association of Swedish Konstnärinnor. Her public works include the famous Berga figure at the Normlösa church and chapel at the Uppsala hospital. She was awarded with Östgöta Art Association scholarship in 1928. Karin Nilsson's art consists of a wide variety of works - fountains, birdbaths, busts, athletes, religious figures and stressed decorative reliefs and frescoes. Among the portraits, there are of Alice Trolle at Children's Hospital in Linköping, Nathan Söderblom's in Vaksala and Haile Selassie's in Addis Ababa. Nilsson's works are represented in Sweden at the National Museum and the New Museum (featuring a self-portrait in marble), as well as at the American Swedish Historical Museum in Philadelphia, USA. Carin Johanna Nilson died in Stockholm, in 1973.

sold

Ostrich

American Contemporary Sculpture

by Charles Lamb, Ca. 1970's

Medium: Wood, brass, copper, acrylic paint

Dimensions: Height: 11 inches            Width: 6 1/2 inches

Charles P. Lamb (1925 – 2013)

Although Charles Lamb enjoyed a successful career as a furniture designer, he created a personal oeuvre of metal sculptures, paintings, jewelry and wood carvings while working in a barn in Livingston Manor, New York. The impressive works of art were unknown to anyone except Lamb’s immediate family until an estate property auction was held to benefit Doctors Without Borders, which became a day of an important discovery for knowledgeable dealers and collectors. The artist was born in Iowa, served in World War II and was educated at Stanford University. While there he studied engineering and gained a degree in English and Theater Arts. Mr. Lamb went on to become an actor and then manager of the Dobbs Ferry Players. When the theater group folded, Mr. Lamb turned to making custom designed furniture. His clients included jazz great Stan Getz and many other important musicians, entertainers and socialites. As a sculptor and fine artist, Charles Lamb was untrained. Yet at some point he acquired a barn in Livingston Manor, NY and turned it into a metal-working studio, where he systematically improved on the rudiments of welding, metal casting [including lost wax bronze], and other technical/creative skill sets he had acquired as a young adult. Working in solitude, he passionately produced the works of art that are becoming famous now... In the 1970s, Mr. Lamb - an outsider artist retired from the making of custom furniture. He turned full-time to the pursuit of his personal art endeavors, referring to his need to create as “My Curse.” For decades, Charles Lamb surrounded himself with the beauty he created. He worked in welded steel, bronze, and carved wood.  He produced monumental figurative works, the sources of his inspiration are wildly divergent and based on his studies into multiple civilizations, cultures, and mythologies across time and space. His works are informed by nature, antiquities and history. In some pieces there are literal references morphing into stylized motifs that can only have sprung from the imagination.

 
$950

Antique Vienna Bronze Lizard Paperweight, Ca. 1900

Dimensions: Total height: 1.5 incheS         Base width (max.): 4 inches         Base width (max.): 6 inches

Cold-painting on bronze was a technique most popular in Austria during the Art Nouveau and Art Deco periods. Bronze figures, most of them made in Vienna, were actually covered with enamel paint. Each piece has approximately 5 to 10 coats of paint, normally of the naturalistic colors, and then skillfully patinated, or gilded. The result is a very colorful figure or lamp. The Vienna Bronze foundries have been in existence since 1850, and since then the Viennese cold-painted bronzes are famous and distinguished by their naturalistic and detailed representation of human figures, and all species of animals and insects.

$1,200

Austrian Jugenstil

Bronze & Marble Sculpture

- Dance with a Snake -

Ca. 1900

Full of tasteful provocative eroticism, this Austrian Jugenstilmassive but elegant sculpture, depicting a beautiful Eastern female dancing with a snake is a fine example of the Art Nouveau movement that swept through the decorative arts and architecture in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Made of a beautifully crafted patinated bronze, it proudly stands on its original magnificent marble base. Unsigned, the authorship is unidentified.

Dimensions: Height : 21 1/4 inches            Width : 7 inches            Depth :  7 inches

 Austrian Jugendstil Movement

The Austrian Jugendstil differs dramatically in style from the other European styles. Vienna was the heart of an independent movement. In contrast to the floral patterns and shapes of the French artist Charles Plumet a special unique style was developed in Vienna.; clear lines were introduced into architecture (Adolf Loos: Villa Steiner/ House at Michaelerplatz; Otto Wagner: Vienna`s City Railway/ Post Office and Interior in Vienna) as it was also introduced into furniture design (Josef Hoffmann, Kolo Moser). The Vienna artists joined together with writer Hermann Bahr, the painter Gustav Klimt and the architect Otto Wagner to form the „Wiener Secession“. Artistic disciplines were not separated from each other in Jugendstil, but flowed together. The artists endeavored to complete a "Gesamtkunstwerk" (total art work). They brought their Avant Garde ideas into all fields of art and daily life: Literature – Music – Painting – Architectur – Furniture design – Cloth weaving – Wallpaper – Lighting – Jewelry – Cutlery – Glass – Heating systems. Their appreciation of details in their work is expressed in the use of: Faceted Glass, decorative and ornamented wood and metalwork.

 $5,400

RAGING BULL

A very powerful sculptural depiction of a bull in rage.

• Date of manufacture : 2008

• Period : Contemporary (1946 - Present)

• Country : Possibly, USA

• Sculptor : Unidentified

• Remarks: Signed (illegibly) and dated '08

• Height : 9 3/4 inches

• Width : 14 inches

• Depth : 7 inches

• Medium : Bronze

• Inventory number : S-A-0002

$2,500