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Art Subject: Bronze
Large Lying Figure I by Pierre Yermia - Bronze sculpture, nude woman statue
Located in Paris, FR
Large Lying Figure I is a bronze sculpture by French contemporary artist Pierre Yermia, dimensions are 46 × 120 × 17 cm (18.1 × 47.2 × 6.7 in). The sculpture is signed and numbered...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Taureau V (Bull V) by Pierre Yermia - Animal Bronze Sculpture
Located in Paris, FR
Bull V (Taureau V, 2014) is a bronze sculpture by French contemporary artist Pierre Yermia 57 cm × 70 cm × 20 cm. Limited-edition of 8 copies and 4 artist's proofs. Each copy is sign...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Early 20th Century Modern Bronze Scorpion Fish on Marble Base
Located in Beachwood, OH
Modern Scorpion Fish, Early 20th Century Bronze on marble base 23 x 22 x 10 inches
Category

Early 20th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze

19th Century Bronze of the Borghese Gladiator Sculpture
Located in Beachwood, OH
The Borghese Gladiator, 19th Century Bronze on marble base Musée du Louvre signed on base 15 x 12 x 8 inches Since its discovery in the early seventeenth century, the Borghese Gladi...
Category

19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Large Ceramic Head Sculpture – Expressive Textured Surface, Testa Series No. 15
Located in FISTERRA, ES
Large ceramic head sculpture with an expressive and textured surface, part of Óscar Aldonza’s Testa series. This monumental head (70 × 36 × 34 cm) is crafted from refractory clay wit...
Category

2010s Expressionist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Clay, Glaze

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

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

Large French Bronze Bust of Diana the Huntress
By Jean-Antoine Houdon
Located in Beachwood, OH
After Jean-Antoine Houdon (French, 1741-1828) Bust of Diana Bronze Signed on side, Susse Frères foundry stamp on base 28.5 x 16.25 inches Jean-Antoine Houdon's bust of Diana is an 1...
Category

19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

“Danseuse Aux Cymbales”
Located in Southampton, NY
ABOUT Beautiful and impressive Art Deco statue of a dancing woman with cymbals. Circa 1935. Original title "Danseuse Aux Cymbales". Signed “Fayral” on base which is the pseudonym of...
Category

1930s Art Deco Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Metal

''Resting with Ancients'', Contemporary Bronze Sculpture Portrait of a Horse
Located in Utrecht, NL
Nichola Theakston (1967) has established herself as one of the UK’s foremost contemporary sculptors working within the animal genre. With the ''Resting with Ancients' Nichola shows...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Emile Louis Picault (1833-1915), 'Gloria et Fama'
Located in Berlin, DE
Bronze 67,5 cm signed restored Partina original Émile Louis Picault (1833–1915) was a French sculptor known for his dynamic bronze works, often depicting mythological, allegorical,...
Category

20th Century Jugendstil 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

After Botero Bronze Sculpture Man in Horse
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

Aquila- 21st Century Contemporary Bronze Realistic Sculpture of a Nude Boy
Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant
Aquila Bronze Sculpture on pedestal of marble Hight bronze 57 cm with pedestal of marble (included) 68 cm Wim van der Kant's sculptures are in bronze...
Category

2010s Contemporary Nude Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze

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

Madeleine by Nando Kallweit. Bronze Sculpture, Edition of 7
Located in Coltishall, GB
Madeleine by Nando Kallweit. Bronze sculpture, edition of 7 Dimensions: 153cm tall
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Model Girl
Located in Zofingen, AG
Classic female torso inspired by examples of high Greek sculpture. Sculptor explores the lines and shapes of the female body, embodied the diversity, slightly changed the poses. Thi...
Category

1980s Realist Nude Sculptures

Materials

Stone, Bronze

Antique Bronze Dog "Whippet with a Butterfly" Arthur Waagen (1833-1898) 1 of 2
Located in SANTA FE, NM
Antique Bronze Dog Portrait “La Levrette au Papillon” or “Whippet (Greyhound) with a Butterfly”   Arthur Waagen (Germany, France 1833-1898) Circa 1860’s 11 x 8 x 4  inches (1 of 2. ...
Category

1860s Academic Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Early 20th Century Ceramic Bust of a Woman, Cleveland School Artist
Located in Beachwood, OH
Edris Eckhardt (American, 1905-1998) Bust, 1933 Ceramic Signed and dated base 8.5 x 4.5 x 4.5 inches, including base Born in Cleveland, Ohio January 28, 1905, Edris was given the na...
Category

1930s Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic

Antique Horse Bronze Trotting Stallion Isidore Jules Bonheur (France, 1827-1901)
Located in SANTA FE, NM
Antique Horse Bronze Portrait of a Trotting Stallion Isidore Jules Bonheur (France, 1827-1901) Cast bronze mounted on a rectangular plinth with dark brown patina, Signed: I. BONHEUR 17 x 11 3/4 A brilliant exploration of a stallion in full trot. The patina is a deep, warm walnut brown with honey-colored tones. Isidore Bonheur was best known and the most distinguished of the 19th century French animalier sculptors. Isidore, the younger brother of Rosa Bonheur and older brother of Auguste, began his studies of painting initially with his father, who was friends with Francisco Goya. By 1848 he debuted at the Paris Salon having discontinued animal and landscape painting to concentrate on creating sculptures and in 1849, Bonheur enrolled at the Ecole des Beaux Arts. He won medals at the Paris Salon in 1859 and did so again in 1865 and in 1869. After entering the Exposition Universelle 1855, he won the Gold Medal in 1889. In the 1870s exhibited in the London at the Royal Academy of Arts where he earned great prestige and won the coveted Medaille d’Or. After winning numerous other medals and prizes, Bonheur was awarded the Legion d' Honneur in 1895 and he was Knighted in Portugal, Spain and France. Bonheur continued exhibiting at the Paris Salon until 1899. Many of his bronzes were fabricated at the foundry owned by Hippolyte Peyrol, Bonheur's brother-in-law by marriage to Isidore’s youngest sister Juliette Bonheur. The Peyrol casts for both Rosa and Isidore are exceptionally well executed which suggests a strong working relationship between the founder and sculptor. There is little doubt that Isidore Bonheur was an acute observer of nature; his animals were not anthropomorphized but modelled to catch movement or posture characteristics of the particular species he was sculpting. He achieved this most successfully with his sculptures of horses which are usually depicted as relaxed rather than spirited. These figures are among his most renowned works and his equestrian models became very popular, particularly among the British aristocracy. An acute observer of nature, his sculptures reflect his commitment to the Realist school - with precise detailing of the movements of animals in their natural habitats. Ultimately, His naturalistic studies of animals are now some of the most highly sought after works by any of the animalier. He was possibly inspired by his many visits to the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show...
Category

1870s Realist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Amazone
Located in Berlin, DE
ALBERT-ERNEST CARRIER-BELLEUSE French 1824 - 1887 signed: A. CARRIER Bronze Marmor Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse (1824–1887) was a prominent French sculptor of the 19th centur...
Category

1870s Art Nouveau Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Seated Nude Woman Sculpture, Early 20th Century
Located in Beachwood, OH
William Zorach (American, 1887-1966) Seated Woman Painted plaster Inscribed underside "V" 12.5 x 9 x 5 inches Provenance: The Tatti Family Collection Bill Zorach was born in Lithuan...
Category

Early 20th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Plaster

Got a Date, Contemporary Hand-Carved Wooden Figure Sculpture
Located in Taichung, TW
Part of Ser Uang Huang’s Travelers Series. In Got a Date, Ser Uang Huang portrays a neatly dressed gentleman waiting with quiet anticipation. His gentle smile and relaxed stance sugg...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Wood

“Feather Dancer Sculpture”
Located in Warren, NJ
Bruno Zach 1891-1945 Feather Dancer bronzed silver sculpture 16.5 inches high Has a beautiful patina Signed in the base
Category

20th Century Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Great Catch, Contemporary Bronze Figure Sculpture
Located in Taichung, TW
Tainan’s Anping has long been a fishing community where, towards the end of World War II, fishermen lived between hardship and reward. They rose with the sun, ventured into uncertain...
Category

Late 20th Century Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Giant Standing Minotaur II
Located in Boston, MA
Carter’s work often morphs the human figure with animal, creating mythological creatures and extraordinary fictional compositions. Her work explores themes of duality, transformation...
Category

2010s 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 74 cm. Made entirely of carved, lacquered, and painted wood. Some signs of wear and pa...
Category

Late 17th Century Baroque Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Wood, Paint

Piano surréaliste, Salvador Dali
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Salvador Dali (1904-1989) Title: Piano surréaliste Year: 1984 Medium: Bronze Edition: 34/350, plus proofs Size: 26.3 x 15.7 x 12 inches Condition: Excellent Inscription: Inci...
Category

1980s Surrealist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Antique Bronze Dog "Whippet with a Butterfly" Arthur Waagen (1833-1898) 2 of 2
Located in SANTA FE, NM
Antique Bronze Dog Portrait “La Levrette au Papillon” or “Whippet (Greyhound) with a Butterfly”   Arthur Waagen (Germany, France 1833-1898) Circa 1860’s 11 x 8 x 4  inches (2of 2. No...
Category

1860s Academic Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

“Diana”
Located in Southampton, NY
Beautiful golden brown patina bronze of Diana, the goddess of the moon by the French sculptor, Emmanuel Villanis. Signed on her shoulder. Impressed foundry stamp on base, “Society de...
Category

1880s Academic Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

"Tovar" figurative bronze of a llama walking with pride
Located in Edgartown, MA
The historic tradition of cast bronze provides a contemporary avenue for the creation of Wayne Salge’s abstracted human and animal figures. Thoroughly modern and distinctly impressio...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

B.U.M. by Marcelo M. Burgos - polished bronze sculpture, golden, monkey
Located in Paris, FR
B.U.M. (for Big Ugly Monkey), from the Monsters series. Polished bronze sculpture, 88 cm × 83 cm × 35 cm. Edition of 8 + 4 A.P.
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

A Second Glance, Contemporary Bronze Figure Sculpture
Located in Taichung, TW
Part of Ser Uang Huang’s Childhood Series. Gazing captures the playful innocence of childhood through the image of a boy forming binoculars with his hands, smiling as he peers into t...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

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

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

A Monumental Patinated Bronze Bust of Jesus Christ by Clesinger and Barbedienne
Located in Queens, NY
A Monumental and Truly Exceptional French Patinated Bronze Bust of Jesus Christ, Circa 1858, Signed J. Clesinger, Rome 1858 & F. Barbedienne Fondeur This monumental and extraord...
Category

19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Seated Mercury, or Hermes - God of Speed
Located in New York, NY
This Mercury by Montagne has lovely patina and surface and is a pleasingly different depiction of Winged speed as he is seated! It is an arresting pose and elegant and covers all fa...
Category

1860s Academic Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Think Green, Two Children, Green Patina Bronze Sculpture, "In Stock"
Located in Kolkata, West Bengal
Subrata Biswas - Think Green - H: 13 Inches x W: 12 Inches X D: 4 Inches Bronze Sculpture. Subrata Biswas’s three sculptures ‘Think Green’, ‘Amigo’ and ‘City Bred’ a conscious selec...
Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Mercury Standing on the Breath of Zeus, Antique Grand Tour
Located in Beachwood, OH
After Giambologna (Italian, 1529-1608) Mercury Standing on the Breath of Zeus Bronze 27.5 x 14.25 x 5.5 inches The sculpture depicts Mercury wearing his winged helmet and sandals and holding a caduceus. Created after one of Giambologna's most celebrated sculptures in the Renaissance, Mercury, was designed as part of a fountain for the Villa Medici in Rome.The head on which Mercury steps symbolizes the figure being “exhaled, purified, unburdened.” When the Giambologna sculpture...
Category

19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Bust of Diane de Poitiers, Bronze sculpture of French Noblewoman
Located in Beachwood, OH
After Jean Goujon (French, 1510-1568) Bust of Diane de Poitiers Bronze with gilt socle base 9 x 3.75 x 2.75 inches Provenance: Removed from a private residence at the Pierre Hotel Di...
Category

19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Monumental Lying Figure by Pierre Yermia - Large bronze sculpture, outdoor art
Located in Paris, FR
Monumental Lying Figure is a bronze sculpture by French contemporary artist Pierre Yermia, dimensions are 110 × 310 × 60 cm (43.3 × 122 × 23.6 in). The sculpture is signed and numb...
Category

2010s Contemporary 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

"HORSE TAMER" BRONZE SCULPTURE
Located in San Antonio, TX
John Bennett (Born 1952) Fredericksburg, Texas Artist Image Size: 22 x 39 across x 11 Medium: Bronze "Horse Tamer" John Bennett (Born 1952) John Bennett was designated Texas State Ar...
Category

20th Century Modern Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

19th Century Bronze & Marble of Boy w/ Lizard and Column
Located in Beachwood, OH
Louis Kley (French, 1833-1911) The Lizard, 19th Century Gilt bronze and marble Signed to base 6.25 x 4.5 x 3 inches In Greco-Roman times, the lizard represented good fortune and reg...
Category

19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Antique Bronze Portrait Draft Horse by Isidore Jules Bonheur (France, 1827-1901)
Located in SANTA FE, NM
Antique Bronze Portrait of a Draft Horse Isidore Jules Bonheur (France, 1827-1901) Circa 1840s Cast bronze mounted on a rectangular plinth atop a marble s...
Category

1870s Realist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Harmony, Contemporary Bronze Figure Sculpture
Located in Taichung, TW
Harmony is a whimsical and lighthearted work that captures the playful spirit of a group chorus. The three figures, each with a distinct mouth shape, appear to be singing in differen...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Nude Female Torso Bronze Sculpture, 20th Century Contemporary American Artist
Located in Beachwood, OH
Alan Cottrill (American, Ohio, b. 1952) Nude Female Torso, 1994 Bronze mounted to green marble base Signed, dated and numbered 14/20 verso of leg, with foundry stamp 17. in. h. x 6 i...
Category

1990s Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Satyr with Cymbals and Kroupezion, Grand Tour after the Antique, 19th century
Located in Beachwood, OH
19TH CENTURY CONTINENTAL SCHOOL Satyr with Cymbals and Kroupezion, Grand Tour after the Antique Bronze with marble base 26 in. h. x 15 in. w. x 10 in. d. This dancing faun is now mo...
Category

19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze

"Sudbourne Premier: Suffolk Punch Stallion" Herbert Haseltine, 1927 Bronze
Located in New York, NY
Herbert Haseltine Sudbourne Premier: Suffolk Punch Stallion, 1927 Signed left side: © HASELTINE / MCMXXVII Bronze, dark brown patina, parcel gilding ...
Category

1920s Realist 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

Arvid Knöppel, The Virgin Mary, Bronzed Wall Relief Plaster Sculpture, Signed.
Located in Stockholm, SE
A finely sculpted dark bronzed wall relief plaster sculpture of Virgin Mary by Arvid Knöppel, signed and dated 1921. An unusual subject of his...
Category

1920s Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Plaster

Renaissance Italian sculptor - 16th century carved wood sculpture - Saint Robert
Located in Varmo, IT
Carved wooden sculpture - Saint Robert. Italy, 16th century. 54 x 30 x h 112 cm. Entirely carved and painted wood with traces of polychrome and gilding. - Inscribed on the base: "...
Category

16th Century Renaissance Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Dancer, bronze, 40x46x12 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Ferdinand Preiss(1882-1943)
Category

Early 19th Century Realist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Horse Playing with a Dog (The Good Companions) Pierre-Jules Mene (1810-1879)
Located in SANTA FE, NM
Antique Horse Bronze  "Horse  in the Stable Playing with a Dog (The Good Companions)" Jument à l'écurie jouant avec un chien Pierre-Jules Mene (French, 1810-1879) Bronze 19 x 10 inc...
Category

1860s Realist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Venus
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this work, the author turned to classical mythology and created the image of the goddess Venus. Goddesses of youth, beauty and love. He created the classical female torso on a marble basement. Кeferring to the classical works of antiquity, the sculptor created his own version of the Venus statue...
Category

1980s Realist Nude Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Fishing for Joy – Sitting, Contemporary Bronze Figure Sculpture
Located in Taichung, TW
Fishing for Joy – Sitting captures the leisurely pleasure of fishing, a pastime that is as much about patience and calm as it is about outsmarting the fish. The figure sits quietly with a hat shading the face, embodying a sense of ease, as if feeling the breeze drift by or perhaps drifting into a light nap. It reflects the essence of fishing not only as a test of patience but also as an experience of slowing down, enjoying nature, and savoring the simple passage of time. Huang uses varied carving textures to suggest different materials: the rugged irregular surface of the stone contrasts with the subtle gradation on the clothing, evoking the shimmering reflection of water. Cast in bronze using the lost-wax method, the sculpture faithfully preserves the wood grain and tactile quality of the original wooden carving. The surface patina replicates the natural coloration of the original, while the bamboo fishing rod...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Ballerina Blue Skirt- Bronze sculpture of a figurativ ballerina contemporary art
Located in Hamburg, DE
"Ballerina Blue Skirt" is a unique bronze scultpure (2023) of Bulgarian mid career artist Günay Aliev. In this sculpture the artist depicts a ballerina with a blusih skirt standing ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Bust of Yitzhak Rabin, Expressionist Bronze Sculpture by Chaim Gross
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Chaim Gross, Austrian/American (1904 - 1991) Title: Bust of Yitzhak Rabin Year: 1967 Medium: Bronze Sculpture, signature inscribed Size: 12.5 x 6.5 x 8.5 in. (31.75 x 16.51 x...
Category

1960s Expressionist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Portrait of a Man
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Francisco Vazquez Diaz, known as Compostela (1898-1988). Portrait of a Man, 1949. Carved mahogany, measuring 18.75 inches h, 8.5 inches w, 11 in...
Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Mahogany

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

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