Vienna Bronze "musician Frog" Patinated Bronze Sculpture, Ca 1900

Vienna Bronze "Musician Frog", patinated bronze sculpture, ca. 1900
Probably a work of the workshop of Franz Bergmann. Very good condition.

Small patinated bronze sculpture of a musical frog, made in the tradition of the Vienna Bronzes, circa 1900. These zoomorphic figurines, often depicted in human or comical postures, were produced by specialized Austrian workshops such as Bergmann or other Viennese founders of the late 19th century.

The care of the model, the colorful patina, and the humorous character make it a typical example of this production, much sought after by collectors of Viennese curiosities and decorative art.

Biography – Franz Bergmann (1861–1936)
Franz Bergmann was the owner of a Viennese foundry that produced numerous miniature sculptures of patinated bronze figures — oriental, erotic, and animal subjects, often humanized, fanciful, and humorous.

His father came to Vienna and founded a small bronze factory in 1860. Franz Xaver Bergmann inherited the business and opened a new foundry in 1900. Many bronzes from the early 1900s were still based on designs from his father’s studio.

His workshops employed, on a temporary basis, many anonymous sculptors, including Bruno Zach, who asked Bergmann to edit and cast some of his works, including some erotic ones signed “Prof. Tuch”, a pseudonym used by Zach.

By the turn of the 19th century, about fifty similar studios in Vienna were producing “Viennese bronzes.”
Cold-painted bronze refers to pieces cast and then decorated in several layers with so-called dust paint, generally applied by women working at home.

The sensual poses of young women in the Art Nouveau or Oriental style were often discreetly disguised by clothing or drapes that could be revealed when a button was pushed or a lever moved. Many animals such as musician frogs, hares, bears, and foxes made the reputation of these factories.

Packaging and Delivery Costs

• Collection: Free

• Belgium: €15

• France: €25

• Europe: €30

• Rest of the world: €70