Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 9

Franz Iffland
Javelin thrower / - Roman present -

after 1910

About the Item

Franz Iffland (1862 Tempelhof - 1935 Berlin), Javelin thrower, after 1910. Olive-black patinated bronze with cast plinth mounted on a white-veined black marble base (7 cm high). Total height 61 cm. Dimensions of the bronze without spear: 46 cm (height) x 26 cm (width) x 25 cm (depth), length of the removable spear: 58 cm, weight 4.8 kg. Signed “Iffland” on the plinth. - The calf of the left leg with a small restored area, patina with scratch mark at the point where the spear is attached to the head, very occasionally somewhat rubbed. - Roman present - As part of the physical culture that emerged in the 19th century and the popular sport that developed from it, the athlete became the new hero. In 1894, the Olympic Games were re-established, with athletics as the supreme discipline, in keeping with the ancient tradition. The javelin thrower is also associated with this. Iffland did not portray an athlete of his time, but rather the epitome of the athlete. The javelin thrower has raised his fist in triumph as he comes to a stop and looks up as if he has reached his goal. His concise facial expression is still marked by the will to win, and the immense javelin bears witness to his almost superhuman performance. His entire body displays a muscular agility that would allow him to master any other discipline. The short haircut, combed forward, reminiscent of Caesar, and the Roman nose with its pronounced hump do not refer to Athens but to ancient Rome, so that the gesture and the gaze also have the character of the Caesar salute, which had become established as the Olympic salute in Iffland's time. Through the jersey and shoes, Iffland's athlete also refers to the present, with which the artist makes clear that the ideals of Roman antiquity should be carried into the present through sport. About the artist Even though Franz Iffland's work and biography have remained unexplored by art historians to this day, the Berlin sculptor was one of the most popular creators of domestic bronze sculptures of his time, who helped shape both Art Nouveau and Art Deco. He was regularly represented at the exhibitions of the Berlin Art Academy from 1862 and presented his works at the International Art Exhibition in 1891 and the Great Berlin Art Exhibition in 1893. GERMAN VERSION Franz Iffland (1862 Tempelhof - 1935 Berlin), Speerwerfer, nach 1910. Olivschwarz patinierte Bronze mit gegossener Plinthe auf weiß geädertem schwarzem Marmorsockel (7 cm Höhe) montiert. Gesamthöhe 61 cm. Maße der Bronze ohne Speer: 46 cm (Höhe) x 26 cm (Breite) x 25 cm (Tiefe), Länge des abnehmbaren Speers: 58 cm, Gewicht 4,8 kg. Auf der Plinthe mit „Iffland“ signiert. - An der Wade des linken Beins mit kleiner restaurierter Stelle, Patina mit Kratzspur an der Ansatzstelle des Speeres am Kopf, sehr vereinzelt etwas berieben. - Römische Gegenwart - Im Rahmen der im 19. Jahrhundert aufkommenden Körperkultur und dem sich daraus entwickelndem Breitensport wurde der Athlet zum neuen Heros. 1894 wurden die Olympischen Spiele wiederbegründet, bei denen – in antiker Tradition – die Leichtathletik als Königsdisziplin galt. In diesem Zusammenhang steht auch der Speerwerfer. Iffland hat hier keinen Sportler seiner Zeit porträtiert, sondern den Inbegriff des Athleten geschaffen. In einer zum Stehen kommenden Vorwärtsbewegung hat der Speerwerfer siegreich seine Faust erhoben und den Blick in die Höhe gerichtet, als ob er das anvisierte Ziel erreicht hätte. Seine prägnant ausgeformte Mimik ist noch ganz vom Siegeswillen geformt und der immense Speer zeugt von der schier übermenschlichen Leistung. Sein ganzer Körper weist eine muskulöse Agilität auf, die ihn auch alle anderen Disziplinen meistern lassen würde. Der an Cäsar gemahnende nach vorne gekämmte Kurzhaarschnitt und die römische Nase mit dem ausgeprägten Höcker verweisen nicht nach Athen, sondern in das antike Rom, so dass die Handhaltung und der Blick zugleich den Charakter des Caesarengrußes hat, der sich zur Zeit Ifflands als Olympischer Gruß etabliert hatte. Durch das Trikot und die Schuhe bezieht sich auch Ifflands Athlet auf seine gegenwärtige Zeit, womit der Künstler verdeutlicht, dass die Ideale der römischen Antike durch den Sport in die Gegenwart getragen werden sollten. zum Künstler Auch wenn das Werk und die Biographie Franz Ifflands bis heute kunsthistorisch unerschlossen geblieben ist, war der Berliner Bildhauer einer der populärsten Schöpfer häuslicher Bronzeplastiken seiner Zeit, der sowohl den Jugendstil als auch das Art déco mitprägte. Er war ab 1862 regelmäßig auf den Ausstellungen der Berliner Kunstakademie vertreten und präsentierte 1891 seine Werke auf der Internationalen und 1893 auf der Großen Berliner Kunstausstellung.
  • Creator:
    Franz Iffland (1862 - 1935, German)
  • Creation Year:
    after 1910
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 24.02 in (61 cm)Width: 10.24 in (26 cm)Depth: 9.85 in (25 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Berlin, DE
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU2438215199192

More From This Seller

View All
Naked warrior with short sword / - The New Hercules -
Located in Berlin, DE
Hermann Volz (1847 Karlsruhe - 1914 ibid.), Naked warrior with short sword, c. 1935. Partially (?) patinated bronze with cast plinth mounted on a black marble base (6.8 cm high). 32....
Category

1930s Art Deco Nude Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Girl with a Kid / - Caresses of innocence -
By Ary Bitter
Located in Berlin, DE
Ary Bitter (1883 Marseille - 1973 Paris), Girl with Kid, around 1930. Green patinated bronze with cast plinth loosely mounted on a white-veined dark green marble base. Dimensions of the plinth: 5 cm (height) x 80 cm (length) x 24 (width), dimensions of the bronze 28 cm (height) x 72 cm (length) x 18 cm (width). Weight of the bronze 18.2 kg, total weight 39.2 kg. Signed “Ary Bitter.” on the plinth and stamped “L N Paris J L” by the foundry Les Neveux de Jacques Lehmann...
Category

1930s Art Deco Nude Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Boy playing the shawm / - The transience of sounds -
Located in Berlin, DE
Hans Harders (1875 Mörel - 1955 Berlin), Boy playing the shawm, around 1930. Dark patinated bronze with round plinth on a black marble base (2 cm high), t...
Category

1930s Art Deco Nude 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

Gladiator ready for battle / - Ready for anything -
By Bruno Zach
Located in Berlin, DE
Bruno Zach (1891 Zhitomir - 1945 Vienna), Gladiator ready for battle, c. 1930. Blackish patinated bronze with silver-plated helmet, shield rim and shield pommel mounted on a fluted m...
Category

1930s Art Deco Nude Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

The Feeding / - Natural grace -
Located in Berlin, DE
Erich Schmidt-Kestner (1877 Berlin - 1941 Nordhausen), The Feeding, around 1915. Gold and black patinated bronze with cast brown patinated plinth mounted on a lightly veined black-gr...
Category

1910s Art Nouveau Nude Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

You May Also Like

Hoop Dancer
By Demetre Chiparus
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Demetre Haralamb Chiparus (also known as Dumitru Chiparus) (16 September 1886 in Dorohoi, Romania - 22 January 1947 in Paris, France) was a Romanian Art Deco* era sculptor who lived and worked in Paris. He was born in Romania, the son of Haralamb and Saveta. In 1909 he went to Italy, where he attended the classes of Italian sculptor Raffaello Romanelli. In 1912 he traveled to Paris to attend the Ecole des Beaux Arts* to pursue his art at the classes of Antonin Mercie and Jean Boucher. Demetre Chiparus died in 1947 and was buried in Bagneux cemetery, just south of Paris. The first sculptures of Chiparus were created in the realistic style and were exhibited at the Salon of 1914. He employed the combination of bronze and ivory, called chryselephantine*, to great effect. Most of his renowned works were made between 1914 and 1933. The first series of sculptures manufactured by Chiparus were the series of the children. The mature style of Chiparus took shape beginning in the 1920s. His sculptures are remarkable for their bright and outstanding decorative effect. Dancers of the Russian Ballet, French theatre, and early motion pictures were among his more notable subjects and were typified by a long, slender, stylized appearance. His work was influenced by an interest in Egypt, after Pharaoh Tutankhamen's tomb was excavated. He worked primarily with the Edmond Etling and Cie Foundry in Paris administrated by Julien Dreyfus. Les Neveux de J. Lehmann was the second foundry which constantly worked with Chiparus and produced the sculptures of his models. Chiparus rarely exhibited at the Salon. In 1923 he showed his Javelin Thrower, and in 1928 exhibited his Ta-Keo dancer. During the period of Nazi persecution and the World War II, the foundries discontinued production of work by Chiparus. The economic situation of that time was not favorable to the development of decorative arts and circumstances for many sculptors worsened. Since the early 1940s almost no works of Chiparus were sold, but he continued sculpting for his own pleasure, depicting animals in the Art Deco style. At the 1942 Paris Salon, the plaster sculptures Polar Bear and American Bison were exhibited, and in 1943 he showed a marble Polar Bear and plaster Pelican. Sculptures of Dimitri Chiparus represent the classical manifestation of Art Deco style in decorative bronze ivory sculpture. Traditionally, four factors of influence over the creative activity of the artist can be distinguished: Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, ancient Egyptian art, and French theatre. Early motion pictures were among his more notable subjects and were typified by figures with a long, slender, stylized appearance. Some of his sculptures were directly inspired by Russian dancers. Quite often, Chiparus used the photos of Russian and French dancers, stars and models from fashion magazines of his time. After the tomb of Tutankhamun was discovered in 1922, the art of ancient Egypt...
Category

1920s Art Deco Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Hoop Dancer
$4,400 Sale Price
20% Off
Vintage Art Deco Signed Original Bronze Woman Portrait Limited Edition Sculpture
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage signed and numbered art deco sculpture by Erte. Painted Bronze cica 1987.
Category

1980s Art Deco Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

"La Comete" Iconic French Art Deco Silvered Bronze 1920s Female Nude
By Maurice Guiraud-Rivière
Located in New York, NY
"La Comete" Iconic French Art Deco Silvered Bronze 1920s Female Nude Maurice Guirard-Riviere (1881 - 1947) La Comete Silvered bronze 23 inches wide x 19 3/4 inches high x 5 1/2 inc...
Category

1920s Art Deco Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Late 19th Century Pair of Bronze Atlas Sculptures with Globe & Armillary Sphere
Located in Fredericksburg, VA
This pair of bronze sculptures of Atlas with Globe & Armillary Sphere are of high cast quality. Pairs have sold for over 700,000 Euro. Their condition is excellent for age and has ve...
Category

Early 20th Century Art Deco Nude Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Roaring Lionness
Located in Gent, VOV
A fine quality, twentieth-century bronze model of a roaring lioness by Alberic Collin (Belgian 1886-1962). Prior to casting by the Valsuani foundry it w...
Category

1930s Art Deco Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Roaring Lionness
$34,336 Sale Price
20% Off
Free Shipping
Contemporary Reclining Bronze Nude Figurative Sculpture 'Spirit' by Carl Payne
By Carl Payne
Located in Shrewsbury, Shropshire
'Spirit' by Carl Payne is a 20th Century Solid Bronze Nude Figurative Sculpture. Carl is a Staffordshire based sculptor for whom art has played a large part in his academic work taking him through the Burslem School of Art, the Henry Doulton School of Sculpture and then to Stafford College. After qualifying in Figurative Sculpture he launched his career with commission after commission which has now secured his reputation for fine quality workmanship both in life-size format and smaller decorative pieces. The list of his completed commissioned work is extensive, including many ‘house-hold’ names from the sporting world, commerce and the past. The following are just some of the private and publicly commissioned completed works that form Carl’s prestigious portfolio:- King George 5th and Queen Mary – life size portrait buste commissioned by Cunards Cruise Ships and located in the ballroom of the Queen Mary 2 (QM2) cruise ship. Ride a Cock Horse to Banbury Cross – life size and a quarter commissioned by Banbury Council, located at Banbury Cross and unveiled by Princess Anne. Randolph Turpin – life size and a quarter - commissioned by Warwick and Leamington Spa...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Art Deco Nude Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Recently Viewed

View All