Antique Continental Bronze Figure of an 18th-Century Gentleman, Shielding Eyes, on Marble Plinth — Austrian School, Circa 1900

Details

Description

A finely detailed cold-painted bronze figure depicting a gentleman in period dress — tricorn hat, ruffled cravat, richly chased brocade … Read more A finely detailed cold-painted bronze figure depicting a gentleman in period dress — tricorn hat, ruffled cravat, richly chased brocade waistcoat with domed buttons, and a long frock coat — caught mid-gesture with his hand raised to shield his eyes as if scanning the horizon. The sculptor has captured real character in the weathered, furrowed face and squinting expression, a hallmark of the Continental genre-figure tradition popular in Vienna and Germany around the turn of the century.

The bronze displays a rich, variegated patina ranging from warm gold highlights on the raised folds of the coat to a deep umber-black in the recesses of the waistcoat’s scrollwork, which is finely hand-chased with an all-over foliate pattern. He stands on an integral naturalistic base with scattered objects at his feet, mounted atop a substantial cylindrical marble or alabaster plinth with natural veining.

Unsigned, as is common with figures of this type, but the quality of the chasing on the waistcoat and the expressive modeling of the face point to a skilled Austrian or German foundry, consistent with genre bronzes produced circa 1890–1910 for the library or gentleman’s study. See less