Robert Cauer

This beautifully carved marble by the important German Romantic sculptor Robert Cauer the Elder represents Undine, a mythical water spirit. The plaster model, which is inscribed 'Undine' and dated 1872, is housed in the Kurhaus at Kreuznach. The present marble, of the same near-lifesize dimensions as the plaster, is possibly identical with the one referenced by Masa (op. cit., p. 136) as formerly in a private collection in Berlin.

Leaning against a rock and stepping on a dolphin, the nymph is garlanded with reeds and imbued with a serene innocence that is characteristic of the sculptor's female nudes. The diaphanous drapery flowing down her leg is reminiscent of rippling waves, underscoring the sculpture's aquatic subject.

Born in Dresden in 1831, Robert Cauer was the son of Emil Cauer the Elder (1800-1867), the founder of the well-known dynasty of German sculptors. Following his training at the Academy in Dusseldorf under Wilhelm von Schadow, Cauer collaborated with his father and older brother in the former's studio in Kreuznach. He there focused primarily on literary and folkloric subjects, including a series of works based on the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm, which resulted in a close friendship with the famous pair of authors. The sculptor's most successful period however was in Rome, where he occupied a studio together with his older brother, Carl, from 1870. Inspired by Greek and Roman antiquity, he incorporated classical subjects and idioms into his oeuvre. This is exemplified by the present figure, carved in Rome, whose composition derives from classical representations of Venus.

RELATED LITERATURE

E. Masa, Die Bildhauerfamilie Cauer im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert, Berlin, 1989, p. 136, no. 56