작품 상세

Cold-painted bronze Austria, around 1950 - or somewhat later Manufactory Bergmann (est. 1860) - Viennese bronze factory Marked underneath 'AUSTRIA' and with a stamp in the form of a jug with 'B' for Bergmann Beautiful naturalistic execution Dimensions: 23.5 x 9 x 13 cm (height x width x depth) Very good condition Provenance: from the former sample stock of the Bergmann factory in Vienna A wonderful example of a Vienna animal bronze; until today bronze sculptures of this kind enjoy great popularity amongst collectors This graceful duck is a beautiful Vienna Bronze, created by one of the original bronze foundries, Bergmann. The plumage is rendered in a very lifelike manner with detailed characteristics: color and form seem deceptively real. Ducks are one of the most popular hunting subject matters. A duck comes rarely alone, most often their collectors assemble entire families. The Vienna Bronze is in very good condition with slight traces of wear. It is marked underneath with 'AUSTRIA' and with a stamp in the form of a jug with 'B' for Bergmann. The dimensions of the bronze duck are 23.5 x 9 x 13 cm (height x width x depth). Vienna Bronze The term 'Vienna Bronze' refers to very fine cast bronzes from the period of around 1880 to 1930. The very naturalistic small sculptures depict human figures, often with exotic features, humans and animals, humorous illustrations as well as erotica. The bronzes were so fashionable that there were 80 companies in Vienna, which concentrated on these products. A large number of significant artistic works was melted during the world wars to meet the metal needs of the artillery, thus the bronzes are now not only treasures but rare collectibles. The most famous manufacturer of Vienna Bronzes was the Manufactory Bergmann. Franz Xaver Bergmann (1861-1936) Franz Xaver Bergmann was the son of a bronze caster with the same name who had a small bronze foundry in Vienna. Bergmann inherited the foundry of his father and reopened it in 1900. Many of the designs however, stem from the old sketch books of his father. The foundry was especially famous for its very naturalistic cold painted animal bronzes. Cold painted bronzes differ to fire glazed ones as the glaze can be applied in more layers. The knowledge on how to cold glaze is lost, which makes the Bergmann bronzes especially valuable.