Austrian Orientalist Bronze of an Arab Rug Merchant by Bergman c.1910
About the Item
- Creator:Franz Xaver Bergman (Bergmann) (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 7.25 in (18.42 cm)Width: 7.5 in (19.05 cm)Depth: 8 in (20.32 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1910
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:San Francisco, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU812837035392
Franz Xaver Bergman (Bergmann)
Globally celebrated Austrian metal worker Franz Xaver Bergman(n) is known for his bronze statuettes and figurines, which are rich with personality and alive with color.
Bergmann's father, Franz Bergmann, Sr., apprenticed under Josef Ott and became a professional caster and chaser, who moved from Gablonz, Bohemia, to Vienna in 1860, where he opened a small foundry. There, he put what he’d learned about naturally patinating bronzes and created popular figurines and sculptures. At the turn of the century, Bergmann inherited the company from his father and opened a second foundry.
At the Bergmann Foundry, Franz Xaver Bergmann created numerous bronze figures, employing a technique now known as “cold painting” that has been lost to time. Bergmann’s early works were based on his father’s molds. He hired local workers to cast his own designs.
Bergmann’s works encompass an immense variety of subject matter. His foundry created bronzes of humanized animals, mythological creatures and animals in natural poses. Many of his statuettes are representative of his fondness for faraway lands and peoples, with a great number of his works depicting Native American, Asian, Persian and Arabian cultures. He's also known to have created some risqué Art Nouveau figurines — to some collectors, the Bergmann Foundry is known for its sculptures of women in various sensuous poses wearing ingeniously executed removable articles of bronze clothing.
Franz Xaver Bergmann’s recognized maker’s mark was a capital “B” inside a scrolled horseshoe, but Bergmann would place the pseudonym "Nam Greb" — the reverse of his last name — on his racier pieces, to keep his more conservative and conventional customers from connecting his name to those works.
Bergmann had to close his company’s doors in 1930 owing to the financial strains that came with the Great Depression. He died in 1936 before the company could open again. His son, Robert Bergmann, reopened the foundry many years later and continued to own and operate it until his death in 1954. Karl Fuhrmann & Co. purchased what remained of the company after Robert died. Bergmann’s cast-bronze figures endure to this day and are highly prized by collectors and enthusiasts of figurative art.
Find antique Franz Xaver Bergmann decorative objects, lighting and other works on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: San Francisco, CA
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
- Mid Century Modern Brutalists Bronze Abstract Sculpture by Emma De SigaldiLocated in San Francisco, CATable top bronze abstract Brutalist style sculpture on travertine marble base. Signed Emma De Sigaldi. Emma De Sigaldi (1910 - 2010) was active/lived in Monaco and is known for sculp...Category
Mid-20th Century European Brutalist Abstract Sculptures
MaterialsMarble, Bronze
- Female Bronze Bust Sculpture by Felix Soules, French 19th CenturyLocated in San Francisco, CABronze figural bust of a young woman with a serene expression and stylized hair mounted on a coarse carved oval gray granite block. Bronze is signed lower right. Felix Soules (b.18...Category
Antique 19th Century French Busts
MaterialsGranite, Bronze
- Albert Bartholomew Bronze Figure La PleureuseLocated in San Francisco, CAAlbert Bartholomew (b.1848-d.1928) bronze of a nude maiden covering her face, figure is known as La Pleureuse (The Mourner). Signed and foundry mark on lower base, late 19th century....Category
Antique 19th Century French Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze
- Albert Ernest Carrier-Belleuse Bronze Molière Sculpture, 19th CenturyBy Albert-Ernest Carrier-BelleuseLocated in San Francisco, CAA very fine bronze sculpture / model of Molière seated by Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse (1824-1887). France, circa 1870. Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse was a French sculptor. Carri...Category
Antique Late 19th Century French Busts
MaterialsBronze
- Crystal Ball on a 19th Century French Bronze Cherub StandLocated in San Francisco, CAAn exceptional Renaissance style patinated and gilt bronze cherub base made in the early to mid 19th century. The figure holding a 10 inch diameter crystal ball. Beautiful quality ...Category
Antique Mid-19th Century European Renaissance Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze
- Lifesize Marble Bust of ApolloLocated in San Francisco, CAAn impressive and larger than life size hand-carved Carrara marble bust of Apollo, signed C. Scheggi (1833-1876). Showing natural inclusions in t...Category
Antique 19th Century Italian Busts
MaterialsMarble
- Antique Austrian Orientalist Bronze Donkey by BergmanBy Franz Xaver Bergman (Bergmann)Located in London, GBAntique Austrian orientalist bronze donkey by Bergman Austrian, c. 1910 Measures: Height 13cm, width 13cm, depth 7cm This beautiful cold-painted bro...Category
Early 20th Century Austrian Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze
- Austrian Orientalist Figurative Bronze Lamp by Franz Xaver BergmanBy Franz Xaver Bergman (Bergmann)Located in London, GBAustrian Orientalist figurative bronze lamp by Franz Xaver Bergman Austrian, c. 1910 Measures: Height 36cm, width 16cm, depth 14cm This Bergm...Category
Early 20th Century Austrian Table Lamps
MaterialsBronze
- Orientalist Vienna Bronze Merchant attributed to Franz Bergman 19th CenturyBy Franz Xaver Bergman (Bergmann)Located in Atlanta, GAWell Made Cold Painted Orientalist Merchant Sculpture, attributed to Hans Xaver Bergman, Vienna, Austria, circa late 19th Century. It is stamped "Austria", see last photo. Excellent ...Category
Antique 19th Century Austrian Moorish Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze
- Large Orientalist Bronze Group by BergmanBy Franz Xaver Bergman (Bergmann)Located in London, GBLarge Orientalist bronze group by Bergman Austrian, c. 1910 Measures: Height 28cm, width 18cm, depth 27cm This exceptional bronze group is by Be...Category
Early 20th Century Austrian Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze
- Franz Xavier Bergman Orientalist BronzeBy Franz Xaver Bergman (Bergmann)Located in Savannah, GAFranz Xavier Bergman (Austrian, 1861-1926) A cold-painted orientalist bronze depicting an Arab Koran scribe on a rug, Vienna, circa 1880. Geschütz...Category
Antique Late 19th Century Austrian Islamic Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze
- Viennese Cold-Painted Bronze of an Arab MerchantLocated in London, GBViennese cold-painted bronze of an Arab merchant Austrian, c. 1910 Height 19cm, width 11cm, depth 14cm This exceptional figurative sculpture depicts an Arab merchant selling his wares. The figure stands holding a piece of jewellery, with an inquisitive expression as if he is trying to entice potential buyers. He is expertly cast, with the ruffled texture of his beard a particularly fine detail. The viewer’s eye is drawn to the figure’s vibrant clothing: a shimmering gold robe is complemented by a green-toned cloak which hangs loosely...Category
Early 20th Century Austrian Islamic Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze