New in Naturalistic Sculptures

This amusing naturalistic sculpture in silver-plated pewter was probably made in the 17th century by Georg Schweigger. Inspired by a model created by another Nuremberg sculptor, Peter Flötner, it bears witness to the persistence during the baroque era of the naturalistic taste that emerged in the Renaissance. Intended as an ornament for some Kunstkammer, or cabinet of curiosities, this sculpture was a great success, as can be seen from the presence of similar works in many European museums. 1. Georg Schweigger Georg Schweigger was a baroque sculptor and medal founder from Nuremberg, known mainly for his small-scale works in stone, carved wood and cast metal. His only large-scale work, the Neptune Fountain, has been in the Petershof Palace, the summer residence of the Tsars near St. Petersburg, since 1797. This monumental sculpture demonstrates his taste for the representation of movement, which we find in this small piece, inspired, as we shall see, by earlier models. 2. The success of a naturalistic theme As is often the case in the history of art, the source of the Dog scratching his ear theme probably comes from an engraving, and more precisely from one made in Strasbourg in 1480 or in Aschaffenburg in 1481 by the Master of the Housebook, an anonymous engraver working in southern Germany at the end of the 15th century. This engraving seems to have been Peter Flötner’s (1490 - 1546) source of inspiration. Peter Flötner was a sculptor and engraver who settled in Nuremberg in 1522. The Louvre Museum also has a gilded lead statuette dated between 1500 and 1515 (on deposit at the Musée de L'Œuvre in Strasbourg), which in turn is thought to have served as a model for other known statuettes. This model was later taken up by the Frenchman Barthélemy Prieur...

María José de la Macorra (México, D.F., 1964) realizó sus estudios en la Escuela de Cerámica y Porcelana de Toluca, Mokichi Okada Association,...

A late 19th century bronze of a hound, seated on a naturalistic base, after Prince Paul Troubetzkoy. Incised to base 'Paolo Troubetzkoy 1893', with a dark brown patina. Born in 1866...

Anne Andersson Sisal fiber wall sculpture Monkey Head (# 1) Hand signed to verso Dated 2009. Measures approx. 11" height x 10" width x 6 1/4" depth. Her sculptures are made of natural sisal Fiber from an agave and meticulously hand painted. The eyes are hand blown glass. Anne Andersson was born in Gothenburg, Sweden, with a great desire to explore Nature and a Passion for Art. She received a degree in science in 1981 from Kjällbergska University in Gothenburg and a degree in Art from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale. She now works from her studio in St. Petersburg, Florida as a Sculptor, illustrator and painter. Her work calls to mind the animalia artworks of Henri Maik and Gustavo Novoa. Anne Andersson's artwork serves as an homage to our planet’s charismatic and rare wild animals. Inspired by the majesty and beauty of exotic wildlife, and motivated by an urge to preserve them, Anne’s astonishingly realistic life-size sculptures capture the experience of seeing these animals up close without exploiting them. Her sculpted work using natural materials and clay, provides a humane alternative to big game trophy hunting and taxidermy. She combines her talents in painting, tapestry weaving and illustration with an intuitive attention to the smallest detail to truly bring her sculptures to life. She has created lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars, cheetahs, bobcats, lynxes, pumas, panthers, elephants, rhinos, bears, water buffalo, bison, moose, wolves, coyotes and more—but she feels closest to the big cats. Anne graduated with honors at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale in 1989. It was then that she met Don Moore...

A large late 19th century bronze figure of a recumbent greyhound after French animalier sculptor Christophe Fratin (1801-1864), with a warm brown patina on a rouge griotte marble base. Signed 'FRATIN' on collar. Bronze length: 37cm Base length: 41cm Bronze height: 18cm Total height: 22cm Christophe Fratin was born in Metz in France in 1801. He first studied sculpture under Pioche in Metz under whom he honed his technical skills. He then became a pupil of the painter Theodore Gericault in Paris where he pursued his career as a sculptor. Fratin first exhibited at the Paris Salon as early as 1831, where he showed ‘Fermer – An English Thoroughbred’. The popularity of Fratin’s sculpture in England had a significant impact on his career. His modelling style reflected his imaginative mind and sense of humour, particularly in his humorous modelling of bears. Fratin was asked to sculpt life-size monuments for French cities, including his home town of Metz. At the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London he was considered the greatest animalier sculptor of the day. Fratin’s bronzes...

Arthur Waagen (German 1833-1898): A 19th century bronze of the Irish Wolfhound 'Gelert', the base set with a scroll giving the dimensions and weight of...

Anne Andersson Sisal fiber wall sculpture Black Panther Head (# 1) Hand signed to verso Dated 2008. Measures approx. 12 1/4" height x 8 1/2" width x 8 3/4" depth Her sculptures are made of natural sisal Fiber from an agave and meticulously hand painted. The eyes are hand blown glass. Anne Andersson was born in Gothenburg, Sweden, with a great desire to explore Nature and a Passion for Art. She received a degree in science in 1981 from Kjällbergska University in Gothenburg and a degree in Art from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale. She now works from her studio in St. Petersburg, Florida as a Sculptor, illustrator and painter. Her work calls to mind the animalia artworks of Henri Maik and Gustavo Novoa. Anne Andersson's artwork serves as an homage to our planet’s charismatic and rare wild animals. Inspired by the majesty and beauty of exotic wildlife, and motivated by an urge to preserve them, Anne’s astonishingly realistic life-size sculptures capture the experience of seeing these animals up close without exploiting them. Her sculpted work using natural materials and clay, provides a humane alternative to big game trophy hunting and taxidermy. She combines her talents in painting, tapestry weaving and illustration with an intuitive attention to the smallest detail to truly bring her sculptures to life. She has created lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars, cheetahs, bobcats, lynxes, pumas, panthers, elephants, rhinos, bears, water buffalo, bison, moose, wolves, coyotes and more—but she feels closest to the big cats. Anne graduated with honors at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale in 1989. It was then that she met Don Moore...

An amazing bronze cast of a little 19th-century boy. The quality of the piece is outstanding, as is the color and patination. There is little known about the painter other than he wo...

Anne Andersson Sisal fiber wall sculpture Lion's Head (# 13) Hand signed to verso Dated 2009. Measures approx. 22 1/2" height x 14 1/2" width x 10" depth Her sculptures are made of natural sisal Fiber from an agave and meticulously hand painted. The eyes are hand blown glass. Anne Andersson was born in Gothenburg, Sweden, with a great desire to explore Nature and a Passion for Art. She received a degree in science in 1981 from Kjällbergska University in Gothenburg and a degree in Art from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale. She now works from her studio in St. Petersburg, Florida as a Sculptor, illustrator and painter. Her work calls to mind the animalia artworks of Henri Maik and Gustavo Novoa. Anne Andersson's artwork serves as an homage to our planet’s charismatic and rare wild animals. Inspired by the majesty and beauty of exotic wildlife, and motivated by an urge to preserve them, Anne’s astonishingly realistic life-size sculptures capture the experience of seeing these animals up close without exploiting them. Her sculpted work using natural materials and clay, provides a humane alternative to big game trophy hunting and taxidermy. She combines her talents in painting, tapestry weaving and illustration with an intuitive attention to the smallest detail to truly bring her sculptures to life. She has created lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars, cheetahs, bobcats, lynxes, pumas, elephants, rhinos, bears, water buffalo, bison, moose, wolves, coyotes and more—but she feels closest to the big cats. Anne graduated with honors at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale in 1989. It was then that she met Don Moore...

19th century bronze group of a standing and sitting hare by French animalier sculptor Alfred Dubucand (1823-1894). Finely detailed bronze with good dark brown patination. Signature '...

The Nautilus shell is an excellent example of mathematics inherent within lifeforms of the natural world. As Davies consistently uses the 'golden ratio' (1:1.618) to proportion his work, he thought it important to exemplify this in his subject matter. The Fibonacci sequence (where each number is the sum of the two preceding numbers) and the logarithmic spiral are also inherent here. The bronze shell is mounted on a black granite base in a way that creates an optical illusion suggesting it is levitating above the base. This bronze Nautilus...

This trilobite fossil was delicately hand carved in herculite (a fine casting plaster). These marine arthropods first appeared around 521 million years ago living in the Cambrian per...