447 Vienna Bronzes, including from the Franz Bergmann Foundry

Sold as viewed, the 447 sculptures are in good overall condition. Please contact the department for further information by emailing Benedetta.Pedrana@Sothebys.com
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Franz Xaver Bergmann (1861–1936) was the owner of arguably the most famous of the fifty or so Viennese foundries producing 'Vienna bronzes' at the turn of the twentieth century. Bergmann's patinated and cold-painted bronze Orientalist figures and lamps brought him international fame. His foundry mark consisted of a letter B in an urn-shaped cartouche (fig. 1). His father, Franz Bergmann (1838–94), was a professional chaser from Gablonz who came to Vienna and founded a small bronze factory in 1860. Franz Jnr. inherited the company and opened a new foundry in 1900. Many of the bronzes from the 1900s were based on designs from his father's workshop.

Bergmann's workshops employed many anonymous sculptors and artisans. Cold-painted bronze refers to pieces decorated in several layers with so-called dust paint; the colour was not fired, hence 'cold painted', often by women working from home. This made each piece unique, for while they were cast in small editions of ten to thirty pieces, each was individually chased and coloured by hand. The Bergmann foundry was forced to close in 1930 with the onset of the Great Depression. It was reopened some years later by Franz's son, Robert, and operated until his death in 1954 when the remaining stock and moulds were sold to Karl Fuhrmann & Co.