catalog text
GERMAN SCHOOL
Circa 1890-1920
A Barking Elk
Patinated bronze | signed "Armbruster, Dresden", incised "Guss v. Pirner & Franz Dresden"
Item # 212XPG03S
A very powerful animalier model of a Barking Elk from the turn of the century, it features a full-grown male elk raising his head to release his powerful call. The scale of the piece does not instantly convey from a scan of the dimensions, but it is very large and an immediate strike-point piece due to the size and dramatic modeling. Of particular interest is the exquisite texturing of the body throughout with a freshness to the mottled hair of the powerful beast's body - it is so tangible and well-developed that you can almost feel the stylus in the fingertips of the artist as it is incising and shifting the original wax this model was cast from. It is signed in the base "Armbruster, Dresden" and shows the editing/foundry markings for Guss v. Pirner & Franz of Dresden.
Measurements: 20" H x 9 1/2" D x 18 1/2" W
Condition Report: Some patina loss to the edge of the base beside the foundry marking and some other light wear around the base. One screw on the underside replaced. Profile around where one back leg joins the base flared slightly (not noticable except to a trained eye). Trace patina wear to the front right shin and the edges of the antlers. Very faint wiggle to one antler, almost imperceptible. A very fine presentation.