Viennese school, ca. 1900.

Viennese school, ca. 1900.
Follows models of FRANZ BERGMANN (Austria, 1838-1894)
"Madrasa".
Cold enameled and patinated bronze.
With foundry stamp BK.
Measurements: 7,5 x 11 x 8 cm.

Bronze sculptural group depicting a Koranic school with a teacher and two pupils seated on an Arab carpet.

Bergman's bronzes are especially famous for having used a technique of decoration of the bronzes called cold painting. Cold painting as a technique was developed in Vienna in the late 19th century, and involved the application of several layers of paint that were added to the bronze after firing. It was used to make fashionable collector's items. Bergman's figures had three main forms: animal figures, orientalist sculptures and Art Nouveau erotic figures. His animal figures tended to be whimsical and humorous, and often satirical. Today they have become highly sought-after collector's items. Bergman's Orientalist sculptures are equally highly sought after. He produced these figures at a time when interest in the exotic lands of the Near East and North Africa was at its peak among European artists and buyers.