Late 19th Century Vienna Secession Cold-Painted Bronze Small Sculpture of Two Men Playing Chess by Franz Bergmann/Nam Greb, Austria

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Late 19th century Vienna Secession cold-painted bronze small sculpture of two men playing chess by Franz Bergmann/Nam Greb, Austria

By: … Read more Late 19th century Vienna Secession cold-painted bronze small sculpture of two men playing chess by Franz Bergmann/Nam Greb, Austria

By: Franz Bergmann, Nam Greb
Material: bronze, copper, tin, metal, paint
Technique: cast, molded, patinated, metalwork, painted, hand-painted, cold-painted
Dimensions: 2 in x 3.25 in x 4.75 in
Date: late 19th century
Style: Vienna Secession, Jugendstil, Arts and Crafts, Belle Époque
Place of origin: Austria

Animated by a quiet narrative tension, this late 19th-century Viennese cold-painted bronze depicts two male figures seated across a narrow bench, absorbed in a game of chess. Both wear turbans and loose, draped garments rendered with careful attention to texture and pattern, evoking an orientalist idiom through striped trousers, a red-lined robe, and layered head coverings highlighted with muted tones of cream, blue, and ochre. One figure raises a small cup in his right hand while contemplating the board, the other leans forward with his chin resting on his fist, his posture conveying concentration. The chess table, centrally placed, is finely detailed with individually modeled pieces. The surface retains traces of hand-applied polychromy and patination consistent with Viennese workshop practice associated with the Secession and broader Jugendstil context. The underside bears the Nam Greb seal and serial numbers. See less