Pair of Dandies, Austrian Jugenstil, Vienna Bronze Sculpture, circa 1900

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Pair of Dandies, Austrian Jugenstil, Vienna Bronze Sculpture, circa 1900

About the Item

This wonderful, full of humor desk-size sculpture is a real gem for the Viennese cold-painted bronze sculpture collectors. Though created in the best traditions of the world-famous foundry of Franz Xavier Bergman, to whom we are attributing the authorship, the sculpture is unmarked. Cold painted bronze refers to pieces cast in Vienna and then decorated in several layers with so-called dust paint; the expertise for the mix of this kind of paint has been lost since. The uniqueness of this sculpture is in its rare subject matter – a dandy-ism; a literary and artistic style of the latter part of the 19th and early part of the 20th century, marked by artificiality and excessive refinement. It was a notable social movement that gave rise to a special breed of men, paying exaggerated attention to personal appearance. The sculpture composition consists of a pair of typical dandies of the 1900s, peacefully exchanging their impressions of some invisible to us object. One lounging in a chair and the second is leaning on the back of the same chair. Despite the fact that we do not know the subject of the conversation, their extra-sophisticated postures and facial condescending expressions tell us that their remarks are indeed full of irony and, possibly, even snobbery. A dandy, historically, is a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance, refined language, and leisurely hobbies, pursued with the appearance of nonchalance in a cult of self. A dandy could be a self-made man who strove to imitate an aristocratic lifestyle despite coming from a middle-class background, especially in late 18th-early 19th century Britain. A brilliant French poet, Charles Baudelaire defined the dandy, in the later "metaphysical" phase of dandy-ism, as one who elevates esthetics to a living religion. He also said that the dandy's mere existence reproaches the responsible citizen of the middle class: "Dandy-ism in certain respects comes close to spirituality and to stoicism" and "These beings have no other status, but that of cultivating the idea of beauty in their own persons, of satisfying their passions, of feeling and thinking .... Dandy-ism is a form of Romanticism. Contrary to what many thoughtless people seem to believe, dandy-ism is not even an excessive delight in clothes and material elegance. For the perfect dandy, these things are no more than the symbol of the aristocratic superiority of mind." The dandy creates his own unity by aesthetic means. However, it is an aesthetic of negation. "To live and die before a mirror": that according to Baudelaire was the dandy's slogan; and it is indeed a coherent slogan. Dimensions: Height 5-1/4” (13.1cm), width 2-3/4” (6.9cm), depth 4” (10cm).

Dimensions:
Height: 5.25 in (13.34 cm)Width: 2.75 in (6.99 cm)Depth: 4 in (10.16 cm)
Style:
Art Nouveau (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Bronze,Painted
Place of Origin:
Austria
Period:
1920-1929
Date of Manufacture:
1900
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. We make our best effort to provide a fair and descriptive condition report. Please examine the photos attentively. Send us a message to request more details or discuss price.
Seller Location:
New York, NY
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU2819317830951