Friday 2 August 2019

Leading the Charge






Lot 8. A cold cast bronze by Franz Xaver Bergmann, circa 1900, modelled on a running male Arabic figure, holding a staff aloft, stamped to underside with Bergmann seal and Geschutz, numbered 2899, 27cm high
Estimated £500 - £800
To be offered for auction Wednesday 7th August
The term 'Cold-painted' bronze is given in reference to pieces that are cast in Vienna and decorated in layers with dust paint. The colour remained unfired, hence the term ‘cold painted’.
Bergmann (Franz Xaver Bergmann 1861-1936) owned the Viennese foundry that produced ‘cold painted’ bronze Oriental, erotic and animal figures. Bergmann was known for his colourful work that always featured a lot of intricate detail. Disguising his identity Bergmann would use ‘Nam-Greb’ to mark some of his more erotic work. The Great Depression led to the closure of the Bergmann foundry in 1930. Robert Bergmann, son of Franz, opened and operated the foundry years later, until his death in 1954.

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