SOUTH GERMAN, MID 16TH CENTURY

Details

A BRONZE FIGURE OF A WILDMAN
South German, mid 16th Century
On an integral bell-shaped bronze base; with two inventory numbers '65.' and '7365' inscribed on the underside.
With a dark brown patina and lighter high points; probably formerly holding a nozzle in the right hand, now lacking.
8¾ in. (22.2 cm.) high, the figure
12 in. (30 cm.) high, overall

Provenance

Camillo Castiglione; Frederick Muller & Cie, Amsterdam, 18 November 1925, lot CXI.

Literature

COMPARATIVE LITERATURE:
E.F. Bange, Die Deutschen Bronzestatuetten des 16. Jahrhunderts, Berlin, 1949, p. 124, fig. 82.

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

The tradition of the wildman was strong in northern Europe - particularly Germany - where he was often depicted in allegorical scenes on tapestries. The present figure, which must originally have functioned as an elaborate candlestick, appears to have come from the same workshop as another bronze, attributed by Bange to a 'South German Master' of circa 1520-1530 (loc.cit.). The model of the present bronze may well have been adapted from its original purpose and set onto a new base. The base here appears to have been cast after a turned brass candlestick base of a type common in northern Europe in the 15th century.

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