Sculptures
The vast majority of sculpture that passes through our
auction rooms
tend to date from the 19th century, frequently taking their inspiration from ancient
Greek and Roman objects and quite often directly copying pieces housed in museums
and private collections. Greek mythology, in particular, has always provided a wide
range of subjects from Venus, Zeus and Diana to Cupid and Mercury.
A Franz Bergman cold painted bronze model of a lizard, with yellow, green and blue
body, its head looking skyward and its tail curled round under its head, stamped
with Bergman vase stamp, ‘Geschutzt’ and numbered 4133, total length 54cm was offered
in our October 2009 Fine Sale realising £1,550 (FS4/622).
The sculptures themselves may be indoor or outdoor works of art, produced either
in marble, stone, bronze, steel or spelter. The pieces can be abstract or formal;
and may reflect a particular period, movement or school of art.
Religion has also provided a wealth of subjects that have influenced the sculptor's
art. Subjects that have come up for sale include bronze studies of Christ at the
Column and the Crucifixion, along with continental carved wooden and polychrome
decorated figures of Saints.
France, Italy, Germany and Austria were possibly the greatest producers of bronze
figures from the 1850s onwards, with sculptors adapting to the tastes of the growing
affluent classes borne out of industrialisation. Animals became increasingly popular
as the century progressed with cats, dogs, farm animals and, above all, horses being
frequent subjects.
Sculptures from the classical to the Belle Époque, from Art Nouveau through to Art
Deco have all been offered for sale at auction through the
Works of Art and Clocks
department.
Notable pieces of sculpture sold at auction through the department incude Cousteau's
Marly Horses, Bergmann's cold painted bronze models, Frediand Preiss' Con
Brio and Demetre Chiparus' Fish Dancer.
Specialists
 | Martin McIlroy
Department Head
|  | Leigh Extence
Clock Consultant
|