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Lot Essay
Kolbe was one of the most influential and successful German sculptors of the Twentieth Century and one of the main exponents of the idealistic female nude. Kolbe began his career studying painting under Max Klinger in Munich, before moving to Rome in 1898 where, under the influence of Louis Tuaillon, he began to sculpt. On his return to Germany in 1901, he lived first in Leipzig and then moved to Berlin in 1904, abandonning painting completely. Kolbe was quickly accepted into Berlin artistic society, being admitted to the Berlin Secession and attracting the support of Paul Cassirer, the most influential dealer of his time.
Kolbe conceived Tänzerin in 1922 and produced two bronze casts of the work in this large format at the foundry of Hermann Noack in Berlin. The present work was acquired soon after casting by the family of the present owner. The other cast was produced for the wealthy banker Heinrich Stahl and was subsequently placed on a stone fountain which was carved in the workshop of Alfred Dietrich. Stahl's villa in Dahlem was torn down in 1942 and the fountain was taken to Madrid by a Bulgarian diplomat who later sold it to the Kolbe Museum.
Kolbe conceived Tänzerin in 1922 and produced two bronze casts of the work in this large format at the foundry of Hermann Noack in Berlin. The present work was acquired soon after casting by the family of the present owner. The other cast was produced for the wealthy banker Heinrich Stahl and was subsequently placed on a stone fountain which was carved in the workshop of Alfred Dietrich. Stahl's villa in Dahlem was torn down in 1942 and the fountain was taken to Madrid by a Bulgarian diplomat who later sold it to the Kolbe Museum.