Bronze Figure Of A Wild Man. Germany, 16th Century.

Bronze figure of a wild man.

Germany, 16th century.

Measurements: 19 cm high × 23 cm wide × 4 cm deep, excluding stand and base

A bronze figure of a wild man, formerly part of a candlestick, shown with outstretched arms and a compact, powerfully modelled body covered with incised hair. The head is characterised by a heavy moustache and long hair falling to the nape, while a twisted belt or girdle encircles the waist. The lower part of the figure is incomplete, with both feet missing. The bronze has a dark, variegated surface with areas of green patination and is now mounted on a modern metal stand with a wooden plinth.

Wild men of this type occupy a well-established place in the visual and decorative arts of late medieval and early Renaissance northern Europe, where they appear as liminal, protective, and heraldic beings, often adapted to functional objects such as candlesticks and mounts. The present figure belongs to this tradition and finds close comparisons in other surviving bronzes of related form and purpose.

Provenance: From the estate of Rodney Hilton Brown.

References:
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, acc. no. 1982.60.124, related example catalogued as Flemish, 16th century.
Victoria and Albert Museum, London, acc. no. M.102-1953, comparable example catalogued as German, 15th century.
Christie’s, London, 11 June 2010, lot 1034, A German Bronze Figure of a Wild Man, late 15th or early 16th century.