Bavarian Hunter - Herunger - Circa 1880–1910

Height: approx. 8.5 cm
Width: approx. 3.2 cm
Base diameter: approx. 3 cm
Weight: 181 g

On the pedestal: Herunger

The bronze bears the number 1147 on the rifle stock and beneath the pedestal.
This double engraving, characteristic of artistic bronze work, is an assembly or fitting number.
At the end of the 19th century, complex statues were not cast in a single piece. Certain parts, such as the rifle here, were cast separately and then assembled by the chiselers and assemblers.
To prevent parts from being mixed up during mass production in the foundry workshop, the same number was engraved on both the base and the attached accessory.

Bronze with a medallion-style patina.


Although Herunger’s life and work remain shrouded in mystery—with reference dictionaries such as the Bénézit making no mention of him—he was undoubtedly a talented sculptor. Active in Germany, Bavaria, and Austria during the Wilhelmine era (circa 1880–1910), he specialized in animal and hunting-themed bronzes. His small-scale, or “cabinet,” sculptures were particularly prized by the bourgeoisie of the late 19th century.
It is possible that HERUNGER is a pseudonym. Indeed, at that time, prominent sculptors or modelers working for art foundries sometimes used pseudonyms or regional variants of their names to sign certain works they considered minor.

This small bronze hunting sculpture depicts traditional Alpine and Bavarian hunting, a theme that enjoyed immense popularity during the Wilhelmine Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. This artistic craze also manifested itself in painting, with the Bavarian master Adolf Eberle as its emblematic figure.
This small, quintessentially traditional bronze sculpture evokes, with a touch of melancholy, a society that has now vanished...

To learn more: https://www.lestresorsdegamaliel.com/accueil/563-chasseur-bavarois-herunger.html

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