Franz Bergman (1861-1936) Austrian, Bronze Humorous Figural Inkwell. The Moorish child wearing a fez is smoking a pipe and lying on a carpet, while the hookah sitting on the table nearby can be flipped open to reveal a hidden space. The small ceramic pot that would hold ink inside for writing is gone, as is the small hose that originally attached to the hookah. 

Condition: Commensurate with age. 

Size: 5 3/4 x 5 1/2 x 4 1/4 in. 

Franz Xavier Bergman (or Bergmann) was born on July 27th, 1861 in Vienna, Austria. He was the son of a professional chaser from Gablonz who came to Vienna and founded a small bronze factory in 1860. Bergman worked at his father’s factory until 1900, when he inherited it and restructured the company, opening a new foundry the following year. Many of the designs he used were directly taken from his father, but Bergman gained fame for his own Oriental and animal figures, as well as infamy for a wide array of whimsical, humorous, and erotic objets d’art. His foundry specialized in patinated and cold-painted bronzes, and he signed his colorful works with a B, although he used “Nam Greb” (Bergam backwards) in order to disguise his identity on his more scandalous pieces. He employed a wide array of sculptors, as there were over fifty different workshops in Vienna by the dawn of the 20th Century and many concepts and artisans moved freely back and forth between them. The Great Depression rippled outward from America in 1930, leading to the closure of the foundry. Bergman died, virtually penniless, on January 1st, 1936, and his son Robert reopened the foundry after World War II, running it until his own death in 1954, at which time all the remaining stock, molds, and assets were sold off to Karl Fuhrmann & Co.

#5721 . 

Commensurate with age.