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Art Subject: Face
Rubenesque Reclining Nude Woman, Early 20th Century Sculpture, New York Artist
Located in Beachwood, OH
Ahron Ben-Shmuel (American, 1903-1984)
Rubenesque Reclining Nude, 1929
Painted plaster
Signed and dated
7.5 x 9 x 6 inches
Provenance: The Tatti Family Collection
Ahron Ben-Shmuel w...
Category
1920s Nude Sculptures
Materials
Plaster
After Botero - Seated Nude Woman Bronze Sculpture
Located in Cuauhtemoc, Ciudad de México
This AFTER BOTERO sculpture is a very beautiful, faithful reproduction in the style of BOTERO'S work that has sold very well here on 1st Dibs.
The edition is 50 in Roman numerals. ...
Category
20th Century Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Marble, Bronze
Diana the Huntress, the Goddess of Hunting Bronze Sculpture of Woman
By Jean-Antoine Houdon
Located in Beachwood, OH
After Jean-Antoine Houdon (French, 1741-1828)
Diana the Huntress
Bronze with fine brown green patina
24 x 19 x 10 inches
15 lb.
The first, life-size version of this representation ...
Category
19th Century Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
A Roman Paonazzo Breccia And White Marble Portrait Bust of Julius Caesar 19th
Located in Roma, IT
A Roman Paonazzo Breccia And White Marble Portrait Bust of Julius Caesar 19th, monumental in size, the emperor with his head in a straight position, His mature face, with a thoughtf...
Category
19th Century Other Art Style Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Marble
La Toilette
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Albert Wein was born in New York in 1915 and was the only son of an accomplished woman artist, Elsa Wein. Her influence and intense commitment to nurturing the young Albert's seeming...
Category
1970s Art Deco Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
Antonio Canova Ebe Aprés Ebe White Marble Sculpture 19th Century Italian
Located in Roma, IT
An important grand tour Antonio Canova Ebe (Aprés), carved in white marble by an Italian sculptor artist in the 19th century from a block of white marble.
The work depicts the go...
Category
19th Century Other Art Style Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Marble
Kashan Terracotta Head of a Bearded Man, c. 1st-2nd Century AD
Located in Beachwood, OH
Kashan Terracotta Head of a Bearded Man, c. 1st-2nd Century AD
Terracotta head of a bearded man, with polychrome to the face, lips, and beard, mounted to wood stand.
5.5 in. h. x 3.7...
Category
15th Century and Earlier Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Terracotta
Antonio Canova (After) Marble Sculpture Of Venus Italica Uffizi Museum 19th
Located in Roma, IT
a superb scale size of the Venere italica, the famous and notable sculpture carved by Antonio Canova in the 19th century. At the top of his notability and influence the King Ludovico...
Category
19th Century Other Art Style Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Marble
The Three Skunks of WWII, Carved Wooden Figures of Hitler, Mussolini & Tojo
Located in Beachwood, OH
Three Skunks of WWII
c. 1940s
Carved and painted wood
Unsigned
8 x 10 in. h. each
These skunks are depicted as Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Hideki Tojo.
Condition: There ...
Category
1940s Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Wood, Paint
Frine (Phryne), 19th Century Large Marble Sculpture of Nude Woman
Located in Beachwood, OH
Ercole Rosa (Italian, 1846 - 1893)
Frine (Phryne)
Marble
Signed 'E. Rosa, Studio O. Andreoni, Roma' on back
34.5 x 12 x 10 inches
80 lb.
Phryne was a 4th century BC famous Greek ...
Category
19th Century Italian School Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Marble
19th Century Grand Tour Bronze of the Uffizi Wrestlers
Located in Beachwood, OH
After Lysippos (Greek, 390 BC-300 BC)
19th Century Grand Tour Bronze of the Uffizi Wrestlers
Bronze
J. Chiurrazi & Fils, Naples
17 x 20 x 12 inches
76 lb.
The Wrestlers is a Roman m...
Category
19th Century Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss, Large Marble Sculpture after Canova, 19th C.
Located in Beachwood, OH
After Antonio Canova (Italian, 1757-1822)
Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss
Marble
24 x 19 x 16 inches
135 lb.
The love affair between Cupid and Psyche is one of the best known classic...
Category
19th Century Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Marble
Grand Tour Bronze Figure of Seated Hermes, Early 19th Century After the Antique
Located in Beachwood, OH
Large Figure of Seated Hermes, Grand Tour Bronze, Early 19th Century
19th Century Continental School After the Antique
The large size figure well cast, with brownish green patination...
Category
Early 19th Century Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Marble, Bronze
“Easter Angel”
Located in Southampton, NY
Contemporary American paper-mache artist Debbee Thibault is a master sculptor in the grand tradition of the WPA sculptors of the early 1930’s. Her belief that “like a fingerprint eac...
Category
1990s Folk Art Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Papier Mâché
$340 Sale Price
20% Off
French antique bronze sculpture by Eutrope Bouret
Located in Berlin, DE
This is an outstanding bronze statue of Eutrope Bouret, signed on the base, by the very well-known French artist Eutrope Bouret (1833-1906).
French antique bronze sculpture by Eutro...
Category
19th Century Art Nouveau Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
Holi by Romain Langlois - Figurative bronze sculpture, dark, man, spiritual
Located in Paris, FR
Holi is a bronze sculpture by contemporary artist Romain Langlois, dimensions are 62 × 24 × 23 cm (24.4 × 9.4 × 9.1 in).
The sculpture is signed and numbered, it is part of a limite...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
Limited Edition Historic 1st Companion Ever (Hand Signed and Dated '00 by KAWS)
By KAWS
Located in New York, NY
Hand signed by the artist.
KAWS
Limited Edition 1st Companion (Hand Signed by KAWS), 1999
Painted Cast Vinyl (Hand Signed & Dated by KAWS)
7 3/4 × 4 1/4 × 2 1/4 inches
Edition of 50...
Category
1990s Street Art Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Resin, Mixed Media
$19,600 Sale Price
30% Off
Antique Italian sculptor - 18/19th century terracotta sculpture - Memento Mori
Located in Varmo, IT
Terracotta sculpture - Memento mori. Italy, 18th-19th century.
16 x 25 x h 18 cm.
Entirely in terracotta.
- This item is sold with a certificate of authenticity with legal validi...
Category
Late 18th Century Old Masters Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Terracotta
$2,573 Sale Price
21% Off
Monumental Marble Sculpture Relief Roman Depicting The Apotheosis of Augustus
Located in Roma, IT
A very unusual and interesting monumental marble relief, hand carved in Italy in the early XX century that shown an interesting scene: the Apotheosis of the emperor Augustus. Apotheo...
Category
Early 20th Century Other Art Style Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Marble
Life Size Female Torso
Located in Brooklyn, NY
TWELVE CHAIRS GALLERY
Zura – Life‑Size Female Figure (2023), Plaster
Dimensions: 39 × 16 × 12 in │ 99 × 41 × 30 cm
Medium: Hand-modeled plaster (also available in bronze)
Signature: ...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
19th Century Bust of Antinous as Bacchus/Dionysus w/ Gilt Floral Wreath
Located in Beachwood, OH
Bust of Antinous as Bacchus/Dionysus with Gilt Floral Wreath, 19th Century
F. Barbedienne foundry
Gilt bronze
23 x 12 x 14 inches
Antinous, also called Antinoös, was a Greek youth f...
Category
19th Century Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
Cigar Store Indian, Early 20th Century, Carved Wood With Polychrome Decoration
Located in Cotignac, FR
A 20th Century wood carved male figure, a 'Cigar Store Indian' with original polychrome decoration.
A now controversial subject, but none the less charming rendition, of a native North American man originally probably used as an advertising figure. Wonderful quality of carving capturing the stance of the man looking out to the distance, hair flowing to his back and plait to the side, all the details of his costume, his native dress and hairpipe breastplate (suggesting he is possibly a Comanche) and chest ornament, apron, trousers, mocassins, shield and arrows. The original Polychrome decoration has weathered beautifully as has the wood itself to present a sculpture that would adorn any collection or interior.
Because of the general illiteracy of the populace, early store owners used descriptive emblems or figures to advertise their shops' wares. American Indians and tobacco had always been associated because American Indians introduced tobacco to Europeans. As early as the 17th century, European tobacconists used figures of American Indians to advertise their shops.
Because European carvers had never seen a Native American, these early cigar-store "Indians" looked more like Africans with feathered headdresses and other fanciful, exotic features. These carvings were called "Black Boys" or "Virginians" in the trade. Eventually, the European cigar-store figure...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Realist Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Wood, Paint
$3,096 Sale Price
44% Off
Marble head of Roman Empress Domitia Longina
Located in New York, NY
Marble head of Roman empress Domitia Longina, wife of emperor Domitian. The elaborate hairstyle, a distinctive feature of Domitia's depictions, is worked in great detail, and the ser...
Category
Early 18th Century Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Marble
Prof. Ernst Seger deutsche Art-Déco-Skulptur aus Bronze
By Ernst Seger
Located in Berlin, DE
PROF. ERNST SEGER
1868 Neurode - 1939 Berlin
STANDING SEAMSTRESS
Very rare bronze with exceptional figure representation.
Bronze, dark patinated, on a square marble base (H. 3 cm)....
Category
Early 20th Century Art Deco Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
Veracruz Mexico Pre-Columbian ceramic Warrior figure sculpture
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Figure of a Chanting Warrior
Ceramic with bitumen highlights
300-600 CE (Classic Period)
Mexico, Veracruz, possibly Nopiloa
Veracruz Culture
Pre-Columbian, Mexico, Vera Cruz culture...
Category
15th Century and Earlier Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Ceramic
$6,000 Sale Price
50% Off
Pre-Columbian Colima Shaman terracotta figure vessel Mexican sculpture
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Seated Shaman
Colima culture
Mexico
ca. 300 BCE - 300 CE
Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. A hollow-cast and highly-burnished terraco...
Category
15th Century and Earlier Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Terracotta
Listening, bronze sculpture, childs portrait, black granite base, green patina
Located in Santa Fe, NM
Listening, bronze sculpture, childs portrait, black granite base, green patina 35 lbs
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Granite, Bronze
19th Century Grand Tour Figure of Sophocles after the Antique, F. Barbidienne
Located in Beachwood, OH
19th Century Grand Tour after the Antique
Figure of Sophocles
Bronze with green patination
Signed F. Barbidienne, Fondeur
25 x 8.5 x 6.5 inches
Standing figure of the Greek poet, we...
Category
19th Century Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
18th Century French Terra Cotta Bust of a Young Gentleman
Located in Beachwood, OH
18th Century French Terra Cotta
Bust of a Young Gentleman
Terra Cotta
Unsigned
25 x 18 x 10 inches
41 lb.
Category
18th Century Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Terracotta
19th Century Bronze Bust of Young Napoleon as Caesar
Located in Beachwood, OH
After Antonio Canova (Italian, 1757-1822)
Bust of Young Napoleon as Caesar, 19th Century
Hallow cast bronze with verdigris patina, attached to rouge...
Category
19th Century Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Marble, Bronze
ROBY DWI ANTONO - KIRA SCULPTURE (BLACK). Limited edition Contemporary Modern
Located in Madrid, Madrid
Roby Dwi Antono - KIRA SCULPTURE (BLACK)
Date of creation: 2021
Medium: Bronze sculpture with black patina finish and crystal resin tears
Edition: 75 + AP
Size: 31 x 26 x 23 cm
Cond...
Category
2010s Modern Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Ceramic, Glaze
Italy Cast Lost Wax Woman Figurine Bronze Sculpture by Aron Demetz Guardando
By Aron Demetz
Located in Brescia, IT
This intense bronze sculpture was made by the well known Italian artist, Aron Demetz, in 2004, Italy.
This is a lost wax bronze hand painted. The title is "Guardando" translated in ...
Category
Early 2000s Post-Modern Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
Grand Tour Bronze Sculpture of Dionysus, 19th Century Italian School
Located in Beachwood, OH
19th Century Italian School
Grand Tour Bronze Sculpture of Dionysus, 19th Century
Bronze with black-green patination
24 x 10 x 10 inches
Dionysus, in Greco-Roman religion, a nature ...
Category
19th Century Italian School Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
Baroque Italian master - 17/18th century figure sculpture - Saint
Located in Varmo, IT
Carved and painted wooden sculpture - Figure of a saint - Italy, 17th-18th century.
36 x 25 x h 74 cm.
Entirely in carved, lacquered and painted wood. Some missing parts and colour...
Category
Late 17th Century Baroque Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Wood, Paint
$2,940 Sale Price
28% Off
Bust of Jules Dalou
Located in PARIS, FR
Bust of the sculptor Jules Dalou
by Auguste RODIN (1840-1917)
A stunning bronze bust with a nuanced dark brownish green patina
presented on a fine Belgian black marble base
Signed o...
Category
Mid-20th Century French School Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
Large 17th century, Sandstone Buddha Head from Thailand, Ayutthaya Kingdom
Located in SANTA FE, NM
Large Sandstone Head of Shakyamuni Buddha
Thailand (formerly Siam), Ayutthaya Kingdom
17th century
16 1/2 inches on stand, 11 1/3 without
Private collection, France.
The face is ...
Category
17th Century Other Art Style Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Sandstone
Woman with hands above head, terracotta, 1945, Giorgio Rossi (1894-1981).
Located in Firenze, IT
Woman with hands above head, terracotta, 1945, Giorgio Rossi (1894-1981), Tuscan Sculptor.
Terracotta sculpture of a nude woman modeled by hand by the artist. Unique piece.
Dimensi...
Category
1940s Art Deco Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Terracotta
19th Century Bronze Bust of Julius Caesar on Stone Base
Located in Beachwood, OH
Bronze Bust of Julius Caesar, 19th Century
Patinated bronze mounted to stone base
Unsigned
11.25 x 4.5 x 4.5 inches
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman. A member o...
Category
19th Century Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Stone, Bronze
“The Archer”
Located in Southampton, NY
Stunning, original Art Deco bronze of a male archer by the well known French sculptor, Pierre Le Faguays. Condition is very good. Verde green finish over bronze patina. Slight rubbed...
Category
1930s Art Deco Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
$3,120 Sale Price
25% Off
[Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] Statue of an Athlete
By Mark Beard
Located in New York, NY
This artwork is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City.
“Bruce Sargeant is a mythic figure in the modern art movement. He embodies a world that is in many ways lost to us; he...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
Locomotive Engineer, Early 20th Century Bronze Laborer, Cleveland School
By Max Kalish
Located in Beachwood, OH
Max Kalish (American, 1891-1945)
Locomotive Engineer, 1926
Bronze
Signed and dated on base, foundry mark: Meroni Radice Cire Perdue Paris
15.5 x 6 x 5 inches
Born in Poland March 1, 1891, figurative sculptor Max Kalish came to the United States in 1894, his family settling in Ohio. A talented youth, Kalish enrolled at the Cleveland Institute of Art as a fifteen-year-old, receiving a first-place award for modeling the figure during studies with Herman Matzen. Kalish went to New York City following graduation, studying with Isidore Konti and Herbert Adams...
Category
1920s Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
Niemand (UE)
Located in Denver, CO
In German, the meaning of the word "niemand" ranges from nobody, none, and no one to anybody. Apply that to Viktor's unique sculptures and a dose of humorous social commentary meets...
Category
2010s Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Paint, Polyurethane
Satyr and Baby - Sculpture by Aurelio Mistruzzi - 1980
Located in Roma, IT
Satyr and Baby is a bronze statue created by the artist Aurelio Mistruzzi.
Minotaur with child on his shoulders.
Edition of the late 1900s.
Engraved signature on the marble base....
Category
1980s Modern Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
$2,205 Sale Price
25% Off
Tête de Femme, after Modigliani
By Amedeo Modigliani
Located in Long Island City, NY
Tete de Femme after Modigliani, produced by Austin Productions in 1961. Austin Productions started in Brooklyn in 1952 and began manufacturing reprodu...
Category
1960s Modern Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Resin
Rudolf KAESBACH (1873-1955) Bronze Jugendstil
Located in Berlin, DE
Rudolf KAESBACH (1873-1955), "Snake Charmer"
Inscribed 'R. Kaesbach' on the plinth and with the foundry mark, height with base: approx. 30.2 cm
Founding mark RM
Rosenthal & Maeder ...
Category
Early 20th Century Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
Head of Man - Bronze Sculpture by Amedeo Bocchi - 1920s
Located in Roma, IT
Head of Man is an original artwork realized by Amedeo Bocchi in 1920 ca.
This little sculpture is made in gilded bronze.
The original wax model is published on the artist's monogra...
Category
1920s Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
Juggler / - Artistic naturalness -
Located in Berlin, DE
Claire Jeanne Robertine Colinet (1880 Brussels - 1950 Asnières-sur-Seine), Juggler, around 1920. Brownish patinated bronze with gilded balls on a round, multi-profiled stone base (10...
Category
1920s Art Deco Nude Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
Surplus Value (Beige)
By Yue Minjun
Located in Bristol, GB
Mixed materials (wood & copper)
Edition of 75
Signed on the base, and numbered on the base and the accompanying insert card
Mint. Small chip on the wooden box bottom back corner, oth...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Copper
Raoul Fançois Larche Patinated bronze figure of a woman
Located in Berlin, DE
FRANCOIS-RAOUL LARCHE 1860 SAINT-ANDRÉ-DE-CUBZAC - 1912 PARIS
Signed on the base with "RAOUL LARCHE," foundry mark "SIOT DECAUVILLE PARIS FONDEUR," and number "R 276."
Total height...
Category
Early 1900s Jugendstil Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
Toy Soldier #5 (Prone Position) by Yoram Wolberger
Located in Orange, CA
Toy Soldier #5 (Prone Position) by Yoram Wolberger
Additional information:
Medium: 3D digital scanning, CNC digital sculpting, Reinforced Fiberglass Composite, Urethane
Dimensions: ...
Category
2010s Pop Art Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Fiberglass
Late 19th Century Bronze Bust of Napoleon Sculpture, Italian Artist
Located in Beachwood, OH
Raphaël Nannini (Italian, 1852-1925)
Napoleon Bust, Late 19th Century
Bronze on marble base
Signed on back
17 x 11 x 8 inches
Raphael Nannini was born in Florence. He exhibited at t...
Category
Late 19th Century Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Marble, Bronze
Tiffany & Co. 19th Century Bronze Cherub on Marble Base
Located in Beachwood, OH
Tiffany & Co.
19th Century Cherub
Bronze on marble base
Engraved on back of base
Sculpture: 6 x 13.5 x 7 inches
Overall: 7.5 x 15.5 x 9 inches
Tiffany & Co. is an American luxury je...
Category
19th Century Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Marble, Bronze
Agnus dei - Puerta de sagrario - Siglo XVII
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
Muy interesante puerta de sagrario de madera tallada y policromada del siglo xvii.
Es de comienzos del barroco, hay la representación del agnus dei con...
Category
17th Century Baroque Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Wood Panel
$1,128 Sale Price
20% Off
Colonial West African Baule Baoule Figure Sculpture Woman wearing loincloth
Located in Norwich, GB
An elegant African sculpture from the West African Baoulé or Baule people, depicting a young woman wearing a loincloth. Smooth black lightly worn patina.
Category
Mid-20th Century Tribal Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Wood
Yellow Swimmer 2 Large - Handmade Modern Glazed Ceramics Sculpture, Man Portrait
Located in Salzburg, AT
The sculpture is signed below, inside
Tomasz Bielak born in Lublin in 1967. He graduated of The Academy of Fine Arts, Painting and Graphics Design Department in Gdańsk, in 1994....
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Ceramic, Glaze
Dark Gray Architectural Bust in Cement - "LarA 013", Sculptural Fusion of Human
By Jose Perozo
Located in FISTERRA, ES
"LarA 013" is an original sculptural bust in dark gray cement, part of José Perozo’s ongoing LarA series, created in 2024. This piece reinterprets the relationship between the human ...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Concrete
Judaica Painting w Sculpture Terra Cotta Jewish Couple Israeli Artist Kanovich
Located in Surfside, FL
Original Painting: Terracotta Relief With Acrylic Painting on Wood Panel
Hand signed
These works are paintings with a 3D carved sculpture dimension to them, fusing sculpture with painting
Mixed media on board depicting a romantic couple, a woman seated on a man's lap.
Mark Kanovich...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Folk Art Figurative Paintings
Materials
Terracotta, Acrylic, Wood Panel
The Blacksmith of Solingen / - The Double-edged Sword -
Located in Berlin, DE
Wilhelm Albermann (1835 Werden an der Ruhr - 1913 Cologne), The Blacksmith of Solingen, after 1895. Bronze-color patinated zinc cast on plinth, 47 cm (height) x 20 cm (width) x 16 cm (depth), weight 5.5 kg. Signed “Albermann.” on the plinth and identified as a cast by “AKT.[TIEN] GES.[ELLSCHAFT] GLADENBECK BERLIN”. Dedication on the front: “Mr. Ing. F. Kuhlmann to the wedding. Management and officials of the Hannoversche Waggonfabrik. Aircraft construction department".
- The zinc showing through in spots, the patina somewhat stained, the right upper arm under the sleeve retouched in black.
- The Double-edged Sword -
The figure is a reduction of Wilhelm Albermann's 1895 fountain figure of the armourer of Solingen, who has always been identified with the historical blacksmith Peter Hahn. In 1839, Karl Simrock wrote the poem “The Blacksmith of Solingen" and thus coined the legendary figure. The first and penultimate verses read:
A blacksmith spoke to Solingen
With every bayonet,
That came to his diligence:
"Oh, that Fritz had it!"
The war took its course,
Many battles were fought,
Which often made him fearful and anxious
In his soul.
The blacksmith had given up his trade to fight for Frederick the Great. Not least because of his strength and will to fight, the battles were won. With his fountain sculpture, Albermann has given the legendary blacksmith a figurative form and at the same time created a landmark for the city of Solingen, which was once famous for the art of sword forging and today still stands for the production of high-quality knives. During the bombing raid in November 1944, the fountain was destroyed along with the entire old town of Solingen. Only the head remained.
The broad-shouldered blacksmith stands securely behind his anvil, his leather apron tied around him, and has just finished a sword blade with his own "weapon" - the blacksmith's hammer. His entire body shows the strength with which he wields the hammer, but also the strain of this activity, as evidenced by the wide open shirt, the somewhat 'untidy' apron, and especially the furrowed face.
However, the blacksmith does not look at the finished work, but resolutely and at the same time thoughtfully into the distance, in line with the quoted verse from Simrock's poem that the battles "often made him fearful and anxious in his soul". There is certainly something melancholy in his gaze, fed by the knowledge of the necessity of forging swords and taking up arms and their deadly use - experiences Albermann had to make during his own war missions. The flowing full beard gives his gaze into the distance an almost prophetic character.
In keeping with the craft of the perfectly formed art of blacksmithing, the detailed casting reproduces the respective materials depicted in perfect form: the leather apron convincingly conveys the impression of leather and lies - also in the back view - like a second formed layer over the body, while the shirt and trousers illustrate their own textile qualities.
Due to its masterful execution and profound content, the “Blacksmith of Solingen”, which has survived in its cast reproductions, remains Albermann's most famous work to this day.
About the artist
The son of a carpenter, Wilhelm Albermann began an apprenticeship as a joiner, but then followed his artistic calling and trained as a sculptor in Elberfeld. In 1855, at the age of twenty, he was drafted into the army in Berlin, where he served until 1857. Albermann attended the Berlin Art Academy on the side and began regular studies after his service. While still a student, he completed commissioned works for his teachers August Fischer and Hugo Hagen. His first independent commissions followed, enabling him to establish a flourishing sculpture studio in Cologne in 1865. His artistic activities were repeatedly interrupted by military service, and he took part in the German-Danish War in 1864, the war against Austria in 1866, and the Franco-Prussian War in 1870/71. After his last war service, Albermann, already a respected artist, founded a commercial drawing school at the request of the city government, where he taught the modeling class and served as director until 1896. In 1890 he also worked for the "Society for the Promotion of Sculpture in the Rhineland and Westphalia".
Albermann was one of the most prolific sculptors in Cologne in the second half of the 19th century. He created numerous monuments, fountains, tomb sculptures, architectural ornaments, and domestic statues. At its peak, his workshop employed up to thirty sculptors and stonemasons at a time.
GERMAN VERSION
Wilhelm Albermann (1835 Werden an der Ruhr - 1913 Köln), Der Schmied von Solingen, nach 1895. Bronzefarben patinierter Zinkguss auf gegossener Plinthe, 47 cm (Höhe) x 20 cm (Breite) x 16 cm (Tiefe), Gewicht 5,5 kg. Auf der Plinthe mit „Albermann.“ signiert und als Guss der „AKT.[TIEN] GES.[ELLSCHAFT] GLADENBECK BERLIN“ ausgewiesen. Schauseitige Widmung: „Herrn Ing. F. Kuhlmann zur Vermählung. Direktion und Beamte der Hannoverschen Waggonfabrik. Abt. Flugzeugbau“.
- Punktuelles Durchscheinen des Zinks, Patina etwas fleckig, der rechte Oberarm unter dem Ärmel schwarz retuschiert.
- Die Zweischneidigkeit des Schwertes -
Die Figur ist eine Reduktion von Wilhelm Albermanns 1895 geschaffener Brunnenfigur des Waffenschmieds von Solingen, der seit jeher mit dem historischen Schmied Peter Hahn identifiziert wurde. 1839 hatte Karl Simrock das Gedicht „Der Schmied von Solingen“ verfasst und damit die legendäre Figur geprägt. Die erste und die vorletzte Strophe lauten:
Zu Solingen sprach ein Schmied
Bei jedem Bajonette,
Das seinem Fleiß geriet:
»Ach, daß der Fritz es hätte!«
Der Krieg ging seinen Gang,
Man schlug noch viele Schlachten,
Die oft ihm angst und bang'
In seiner Seele machten.
Der Schmied hatte sein Handwerk ruhen lassen, um selbst für Friedrich den Großen zu kämpfen. Nicht zuletzt durch seine Kraft und seinen Kampfeswillen verliefen die Schlachten siegreich. Dem legendären Schmied verlieht Albermann mit seiner Brunnenskulptur eine bildliche Gestalt und schuf damit zugleich ein Wahrzeichen der Stadt Solingen, die einst für die Kunst des Schwerterschmiedens berühmt war und bis heute für die Herstellung qualitätvoller Messer einsteht. Beim Bombenangriff im November 1944 wurde mit der gesamten Solinger Altstadt auch der Brunnen zerstört. Einzig der Kopf blieb erhalten.
Mit sicherem Stand und umgebundener Lederschürze steht der breitschultrige Schmied hinter seinem Amboss und hat gerade mit seiner eigenen ‚Waffe‘ – dem Schmiedehammer – eine Schwertklinge fertiggestellt. Seinem gesamten Körper ist die Kraft abzulesen, mit der er den Hammer führt, aber auch die Anstrengung dieser Tätigkeit, wovon das weit geöffnete Hemd, die etwas ‚unordentlich‘ arrangierte Schürze und vor allem das zerfurchte Gesicht zeugen.
Der Schmied schaut aber nicht auf das vollendete Werk, sondern entschlossen und zugleich sinnierend in die Ferne, entsprechend der zitierten Zeile von Simrocks Gedicht, dass die Schlachten „oft ihm angst und bang‘ in seiner Seele machten“. Der Blick hat durchaus etwas Melancholisches, dass sich aus dem Wissen um die Notwendigkeit, Schwerter zu schmieden und zu den Waffen zu greifen und deren tödlichem Einsatz speist – Erfahrungen, die Albermann bei seinen eigenen Kriegseinsätze machen musste. Der wallende Vollbart verleiht dem in die Ferne schauenden Blick einen beinahe prophetischen Charakter.
Dem Handwerk der formvollendenden Schmiedekunst entsprechend, gibt der detaillierte Guss die jeweils dargestellten Materialien in vollendeter Ausformung wieder: Die Lederschürze vermittelt überzeugend den Eindruck des Leders und liegt – auch in der Rückenansicht – wie eine zweite ausgeformte Schicht über dem Körper, während das Hemd und die Hose...
Category
1890s Realist Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Metal
$1,317 Sale Price
20% Off
Couple. Porcelain vases 2 x h 9 cm
By Ilona Romule
Located in Riga, LV
Unique vases in the shape of human heads made from the finest porcelain by Ilona Romule, leading sculptor in Latvia
The artwork titled "Couple" consists of two porcelain vases. Each...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Porcelain
$451 Sale Price
20% Off
SACRISTY DOOR
Located in Milano, IT
Antique Sacristy Door with Skull and Crossbones - Italy, 17th Century
Exceptional wooden vestry door, dating from the 17th century, from Italy. This unique piece was originally used...
Category
17th Century Italian School Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Wood Panel