(Last Updated On May 24, 2022)
A reader came across this unusual figurine for auction. The really remarkable thing about it is that it is overtly erotic and looking at the physique of the girl, she is clearly very young. It would have been interesting to get into the head of the artist to understand the logic for composing this kind of subject for a Vienna Bronze. I own a very small one of a girl with a mandolin and so it must have been quite common to feature nude subjects in this medium.
Xaver Bergmann – Orientale mit Katze (1850s?)
I believe the title (Easterner [Arab] with Cat) was meant to be suggestive implying an erotic subject. Although there is no date indicated in the auction, Vienna Bronzes were made starting in the 1850s.
There is a lot of symbolism with this piece. The person who created it seems to be referring to the prophet Muhammad since he was very fond of cats and his youngest wife, Aisha. It is an interesting Orientalist piece of art.
In this sculpture, the man’s cloak can flip from open to closed. Your image is the one with the cloak open, there is a second one (https://image.invaluable.com/housePhotos/schwab/91/691191/H18949-L237042241.jpg) with the cloak closed, and there he holds the cat. Hence the title.
Very interesting; it reminds me of a kind of Fabergé egg with a hidden surprise.
The notion of a cloak is that it is something that can conceal. And in this case, it is remarkable the kinds of things that can be concealed. -Ron
Yes, but I believe the erotic association with cats was deliberate and the inclusion of the cat is a kind of contrivance. -Ron