Franz Xavier Bergmann, Sculptural Bud Vase, Vienna Bronze, circa 1900

Charles Vital-Cornu (French, 1851 - 1927), Jouffroy’s and Pils’ pupil, he acquired a skillfulness mastery in carving marbles and producing bronzes. He used several patinas in his production. Indeed, if his pieces' embodiments are often golden-brown colored, the hollow part are darker. His figures, hands, faces, and bodies are of a great quality. Charles Vital-Cornu had participated in numerous annual ‘‘Salons’’ organized in Paris by ‘‘la Société des Artistes Français’’ where he got several awards, such as a mention of Honor in 1880 and 1881, a third class medal in 1882, a travelling grant in 1883, a second class medal in 1886, a bronze medal at the 1889 World Fair and, finally, a silver medal at the 1900 World Fair at the Grand palace...

ABOUT IRIS The iris is a special and mysterious flower. Not only because of its striking appearance, but also from an artistic and historical point of view. It is also like a work of art, as though created by Mother Nature. The unique leaves of this plant not only create wonderful shadow casts, but also look as if they were painted by hand. It's no wonder that iris acts as the muse for countless artists, and can be seen in many famous works of art. The iris was first spotted in the time of Pharaoh Thutmose, in 1504 BC. He had the iris inscribed into the wall reliefs of a temple as a sign of his power, as well as decorating his sceptre with motifs of the flower. Since then, the iris has been a symbol of victory in Egypt. But the symbolism of the iris goes further than that. In Japan, the flower represents courage and is the symbol of the boys' festival. In Islamic cultures, the iris is a symbol of prosperity. In Europe, the flower was a popular weapon symbol in the Middle Ages and stood for chivalry. And in Christianity, the iris was seen as a symbol of the trinity because of its three-part flowers. With more than 300 varieties, the iris is now the most popular flower among growers and gardeners following the rose. Countless artists use the iris in their works and the flower is present in all eras. You can see the flower on furniture, vases, jewelry, fabrics, sculptures, coats of arms and much more. Did you know that the iris is also called the sword lily? It's not a coincidence that it used to symbolize physical and emotional pain and suffering caused by a weapon. We also see the flower in religious art, where it's often associated with Mary and Jesus. The iris is also associated with the Greek goddess Iris, where the flower symbolizes reconciliation and divine messages. This is also reflected in many paintings. Finally, the iris is also visible in Dutch and Flemish still-life paintings. This can be in a religious form, incorporated into an object or as a decorative flower. In the Art Nouveau art movement, the iris (along with other plants, such as the birch) was often used as an expression of feminine beauty. With its almost otherworldly appearance, the iris is perfectly suited to the Art Nouveau aesthetic and is featured in many well-known works of art. The poet of that era, Hermann Hesse...

An Art Nouveau gilt bronze lobed ewer by Alexandre Vibert (French, 1847-1909), produced within the early 20th century period, depicting a classical nude female figure on the bank of ...

Alfonso Canciani (Italian-Austrian, 1863-1955) was a famous Italian-Austrian sculptor of the period of accession to the Viennese Secession. Son of a stonemason, after a realist period he managed to establish himself as a leading sculptor of the Viennese Secession. In fact, he worked in Vienna, where he had enrolled in 1886 at the Academy of Fine Arts, then at the Higher School of Sculpture and finally at the Special School, where he obtained the Rome prize for the sketch for Dante's Monument. He developed a notable business obtaining important prizes and numerous commissions. First among the sculptors of the Viennese capital, he was invited to join the Association of the Viennese Secession, of which Klimt was magna pars, after the exhibition of Dante's group in 1900 at the Secession exhibition, and obtained the most important Austrian artistic prize, the Kunstlerlpreis. This same work, presented in 1910 in Berlin, at the Great Art Exhibition, also received an important recognition here. He obtained the Rome prize in 1896, exhibited successfully in Munich and in 1899 at the III International Art Exhibition in Venice. In that period he made some statues of saints for the cathedral of Santo Stefano in Vienna, the monument to Wagner, the bust of Nietzsche for the University, the scepter and the gold chain of the University Rector, figures of Italian poets ( Petrarch, Boccaccio, Tasso, Ariosto). He submitted a sketch for the official monument to Empress Elizabeth, which was then built in Austrisn Gföhl and Pula. At the time of his accession to the Secession, he dedicated himself to decorating the facade of the Artaria house in Vienna in collaboration with the architect Max Fabiani. He later abandoned the symbolist decorativism of the Jugendstil for a more concentrated and vigorous style, approaching the Belgian sculptor Constantin Meunier for the theme of work, and preferring to exhibit at the Künstlerhaus. In Vienna, he was generous with advice and help with the Italians and in particular with his fellow citizens (such as the Brazzanese Luigi Visintin, then a university student). After the First World War, he returned to Italy and lived in Friuli, penalized by the fact that the Habsburg Empire had by now disappeared. Instead of large-scale public monuments, he then devoted himself to engraving medals (e.g. for Benedict XV and for the Italian mission in Vienna in 1919) and to designing funeral monuments (examples in Mali Lošinj and Trieste) and portrait busts (of Generals Carlo Caneva and Antonio Baldissera in Udine, sculptures of the War Memorial of Corno di Rosazzo). After all, he had already executed the Bab grave monument in the Döblinger cemetery in Vienna in 1909. He taught in Trieste from 1920 until 1935, at the local school of industrial art, where he had Marcello Mascherini...

An amazing Jugendstil Style amphora from Rudolstadt, Thuringia hailing from the Triebner Ens Manufacture and the artist Karl Ens Volkstedt. A vase decorated with a iris flower form...

PIERRE-ADRIEN DALPAYRAT (1844-1910) After working nearly half his life as an itinerant faience painter and directing production for commercial porcelain manufacturers, Dalpayrat’s ey...

August Otto for Johann Maresch. Large impressive Art Nouveau Bohemian terracotta vase with a mermaid. Austria approx. 1900. In perfect condition. Stamped "JM 1669" and with incis...

A graceful fairy, reminiscent of Germanic mythology, resting on a blooming water lily vase. The sculpture's intricate details and flowing lines exempli...