A Rare Cold Painted Austrian Bronze Figure of a Kangaroo with a Baby Joey in Her Pouch by Franz Bergman

A rare cold painted Austrian bronze figure of a Kangaroo with a baby joey in her pouch . Bergman stamp to underside. Well cast and finely chased with fine and realistic detailing. A charming and rare piece. Excellent original condition with a little light wear . Austrian c 1900. Signed to the underside with a B in an Amphora vase

Franz Xavier Bergman (1861 – 1936), was a Viennese sculptor who produced numerous cold-painted bronze Oriental and animal figures. Recognized for his great attention to detail and wonderful vibrant colours,Bergman had a distinctive signature either a ‘B’ in a vase shape or ‘Nam Greb’ which reads Bergman in reverse. It is said that he used these marks as a ‘nom de plume’ as the subjects of his work were often unquestinably erotic and not to the taste of his family.

Sensuous poses of young women in the Art Nouveau style were disguised by a covering that revealed all when a button was pushed or a lever moved. Often carefully sculpted animals, such as bears, could be opened to reveal an erotic figure inside.

The tradition of Vienna Bronze can be traced to the middle of the 19th century. Around 50 manufacturers resided in Vienna at the turn of the century, as small Austrian bronze sculpture with its fine detail enjoyed great popularity.

In the late 19th Century a number of Austrian bronze foundries situated in Vienna and the Austrian-Bohemian border began to specialise in the technique of ‘cold painted’ processes. This naturalistic finish was created by painting the raw bronze with several layers of special and secretive enamel colours called ‘dust paints’, which resulted in fine life like studies of the various models and sculptures. This process was often applied when the cast was still warm, the natural shrinkage on cooling adding to the permanency of the colour as it annealed the paint firmly into the metal. As the colour was not ‘fired’ this process is referred to as ‘cold painting '

Approximate overall width 7.5 Height approx. 7cm

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