Antique "Viennese Bronze" Figurine Ft. Ballerina W/Omega Clock & Erotic Chamber

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Description

Offering for sale this extremely rare and precious "Viennese bronze" sculpture depicting a ballerina sitting next to an Omega clock … Read more Offering for sale this extremely rare and precious "Viennese bronze" sculpture depicting a ballerina sitting next to an Omega clock encasing an erotic scene depicting an amorous couple within (chamber).

The phrase "Viennese bronze" is used to refer to artistic small sculptures and "cabinet" objects produced in Vienna in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Sculptural compositions were created on the basis of patinated bronze and brass and were hand-painted by skilled Austrian craftsmen. The "Viennese Bronze" was the clearest manifestation of the European democratization of Austrian art and cultural life, which was based on the development of the art industry. Originating in the period of historicism and inheriting the interests and tastes of the Biedermeier style, it survived this era to this day.

To this day, Viennese bronze is an object of passionate collecting. Miniature figures of the animalistic genre were collected by the Russian writer and publicist Maxim Gorky, the famous American writer Ernest Hemingway and even the English Queen Victoria.

The hallmark of the Viennese bronze was small, brightly painted figures of animals, people, birds, reptiles, insects, plants and outrageous chamber erotic scenes. Austrian "cabinet" small bronze sculptures, made in the Biedermeier style, as well as in the manner of French Art Nouveau and Art Deco, are now rare and precious collectibles.

This particular Viennese bronze measures 3-1/2" wide x 1-7/8" deep x 2-3/4" tall and weighs 1 pound 3.5 ounces. The Omega clock winds and a specific time can be set, but I'm unsure of its power source (movement) so I can't guarantee it actually works. The sculpture itself is flush and true, and the enamel paint is remarkably well preserved and bright. The craftsmanship of this sculpture is clearly world-class as the details are simply awe-inspiring.

The only comparable Viennese bronze erotic chamber sculpture I could find sold at auction in London in 2012 for US$5250. The value of these pieces has only risen since, and I believe this to be a superior piece. See less