Large 20th Century Terracotta Bust of a Peasant Lady by Ciseau for Goldscheider, Austria

Details

Description

A fabulous, imposing, and rare glazed terracotta bust depicting a beautiful Dutch peasant woman, signed on the back of the … Read more A fabulous, imposing, and rare glazed terracotta bust depicting a beautiful Dutch peasant woman, signed on the back of the base with one of Goldscheider's earliest marks, numbered and signed with a metal nib on the ceramic body by the artist "Ciseau," a sculptor who collaborated with the Austrian manufacturer for several years. It dates to the very early 1900s. The Art Nouveau style of the piece is marvelous, with the woman's face, slightly inclined to the left, extremely expressive. She is a beautiful peasant woman with a shawl covering her hair. The patina covering the piece is beautiful, the dimensions are good, and the bas-relief floral decorations are very beautiful.

Useful information for appraising this item:
This is one of the manufacturer's oldest marks, used from 1900 to 1920. The first photo immediately below this shows the same mark, taken from the Goldscheider catalog. In the catalog, at number 2987, corresponding to our bust, is our sculpture, made in 1905. Goldscheider terracottas are by far the most important and the most sought-after and paid of all those produced in Europe in the last decades of the 19th century and the early 20th century. Just to give you an idea of the value of the terracotta sculptures made by this factory, we did a quick online search and found that the four highest results achieved by Goldscheider terracottas range from €11,000 to €23,000, plus 25-30% commission. While online busts similar to ours range from a minimum of €1,500 to over €7,000, depending on the size and the complexity and beauty of the subject depicted, it should be noted, in fairness, that our bust is slightly smaller than the more expensive ones and features a decidedly simpler workmanship and subject—a commoner, not a lady with jewels and a crown or something else.

Information on the artist and/or manufacturer:
The Austrian Goldscheider factory was founded in 1885 by the famous entrepreneur and artist Friedrich Goldscheider and operated until 1954. This factory is considered one of the most important ceramic and terracotta manufacturers in Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It collaborated with the most important sculptors and ceramists of the time, such as Lorenzl, Dakon, Knorlein, Meisinger, Goebel, Cherc, Rosè, and many others. This piece has an attribution mark,
I am sure that it is completely authentic and take full responsibility for any authenticity
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