Vienna Bronze “Musician Frog” patinated bronze sculpture, ca 1900

Vienna Bronze “Musician Frog” patinated bronze sculpture, c. 1900, probably a work from the workshop of Franz Bergmann.

Excellent condition.

Small patinated bronze sculpture depicting a musician frog, produced in the tradition of Vienna Bronzes, circa 1900. These zoomorphic figurines, often posed in human or comic postures, were made by specialized Austrian workshops such as Bergmann or other Viennese founders at the end of the 19th century. The careful modeling, colored patina, and humorous character make this a typical example of this production, highly prized by collectors of curiosities and Viennese decorative art.



Biography:

Franz Bergmann (1861-1936) was the owner of a Viennese foundry that produced numerous miniature sculptures of Oriental, erotic, and animal figures in patinated and bronze finishes. These works were often whimsical and humorous, humanized art objects.

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 workshop. His workshops temporarily employed numerous anonymous sculptors, including Bruno Zach, who asked Bergmann to cast some of his works, including certain erotic pieces signed “Prof. Tuch,” a pseudonym used by Zach.

At the turn of the 19th century, there were about fifty similar workshops in Vienna producing “Vienna Bronzes.” The term “cold-painted bronze” refers to pieces that were cast and then decorated in multiple layers with so-called dust paint, usually applied by women working from home.

The sensual poses of young women in Art Nouveau or Oriental style were discreetly disguised with clothing or drapery that would reveal itself when a button was pressed or a lever moved. Many animals such as musical monkeys, hares, bears, foxes, frogs, etc., contributed to the fame of these workshops.