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Franz Xaver Bergman (Bergmann) Desk Accessories

Austrian, 1861-1936

Globally celebrated Austrian metal worker Franz Xaver Bergman(n) is known for his bronze statuettes and figurines, which are rich with personality and alive with color. 

Bergmann's father, Franz Bergmann, Sr., apprenticed under Josef Ott and became a professional caster and chaser, who moved from Gablonz, Bohemia, to Vienna in 1860, where he opened a small foundry. There, he put what he’d learned about naturally patinating bronzes and created popular figurines and sculptures. At the turn of the century, Bergmann inherited the company from his father and opened a second foundry. 

At the Bergmann Foundry, Franz Xaver Bergmann created numerous bronze figures, employing a technique now known as “cold painting” that has been lost to time. Bergmann’s early works were based on his father’s molds. He hired local workers to cast his own designs.

Bergmann’s works encompass an immense variety of subject matter. His foundry created bronzes of humanized animals, mythological creatures and animals in natural poses. Many of his statuettes are representative of his fondness for faraway lands and peoples, with a great number of his works depicting Native American, Asian, Persian and Arabian cultures. He's also known to have created some risqué Art Nouveau figurines — to some collectors, the Bergmann Foundry is known for its sculptures of women in various sensuous poses wearing ingeniously executed removable articles of bronze clothing.

Franz Xaver Bergmann’s recognized maker’s mark was a capital “B” inside a scrolled horseshoe, but Bergmann would place the pseudonym "Nam Greb" — the reverse of his last name — on his racier pieces, to keep his more conservative and conventional customers from connecting his name to those works. 

Bergmann had to close his company’s doors in 1930 owing to the financial strains that came with the Great Depression. He died in 1936 before the company could open again. His son, Robert Bergmann, reopened the foundry many years later and continued to own and operate it until his death in 1954. Karl Fuhrmann & Co. purchased what remained of the company after Robert died. Bergmann’s cast-bronze figures endure to this day and are highly prized by collectors and enthusiasts of figurative art.

Find antique Franz Xaver Bergmann decorative objects, lighting and other works on 1stDibs.

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Creator: Franz Xaver Bergman (Bergmann)
Viennese Cold-Painted Bronze and Marble Inkstand by Franz Xaver Bergman
By Franz Xaver Bergman (Bergmann)
Located in London, GB
Viennese cold-painted bronze and marble inkstand by Franz Xaver Bergman Austrian, c. 1910 Height 22cm, width 40cm, depth 17cm Crafted by the renowned Franz Xaver Bergman (1861-1936)...
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Early 20th Century Austrian Franz Xaver Bergman (Bergmann) Desk Accessories

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Arabian Themed Garniture Made by Franz Xavier Bergman
By Franz Xaver Bergman (Bergmann)
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
Arabic themed garniture made by Franz Xavier Bergman (1861-1936). The pieces are made of polychrome bronze. The central one is an inkwell that is ...
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1890s Austrian Art Nouveau Antique Franz Xaver Bergman (Bergmann) Desk Accessories

Materials

Bronze

Franz Bergmann, Crocodile, Vienna Bronze Sculptural Paperweight, Ca. 1900
By Franz Xaver Bergman (Bergmann)
Located in New York, NY
Artist: Franz Xaver Bergmann Sculpture: Crocodile This wonderful life-like little sculpture of a crocodile is actually a most convenient paperweight, and a perfect desk accesso...
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Early 1900s Austrian Art Nouveau Antique Franz Xaver Bergman (Bergmann) Desk Accessories

Materials

Bronze

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Austrian Cold-Painted Bronze Entitled "Snake Dancer" by Franz Bergman
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Austrian Cold Painted Bronze Horse Franz Bergman (Att.)
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Orientalist Cold Painted Vienna Bronze Letter Opener, ca. 1900
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Antique English Equestrian Themed Silver Plate Inkwell.
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Franz Xaver Bergman (bergmann) desk accessories for sale on 1stDibs.

Franz Xaver Bergman (Bergmann) desk accessories are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of metal and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Franz Xaver Bergman (Bergmann) desk accessories, although gold editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original desk accessories by Franz Xaver Bergman (Bergmann) were created in the Art Nouveau style in europe during the early 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider desk accessories by and Franz Bergmann. Prices for Franz Xaver Bergman (Bergmann) desk accessories can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $1,600 and can go as high as $15,410, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $13,000.

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