Art Nouveau Statue - Famous Art Nouveau Sculpture - Franz Bergmann

Female Nude on a Snail: Bronze Figure on Marble Bowl - Franz Xaver Bergmann

This piece stands as a jewel among art nouveau statue collections. Its sinuous curves and organic motif—melding human form with the slow poetry of a snail—exemplify the era’s obsession with nature’s fluid lines. Though diminutive in scale, it carries the visual impact of a famous art nouveau sculpture, recalling grand works by Moreau and Lalique, yet distilled into an intimate objet d’art meant for close inspection.

A Viennese Visionary Comes to Life

Franz Xaver Bergmann born  1861, in the imperial city of Vienna—then the beating heart of the Austro‑Hungarian Empire. The son of a skilled chaser from Gablonz, young Bergmann grew up amid the clang of hammers and the warm glow of furnaces in his family’s modest bronze workshop. He absorbed classical forms from the grand collections of the Kunsthistorisches Museum and felt the electric thrill of the Secessionists’ bold experiments. By the 1880s, he had taken the helm of his father’s foundry and set out to redefine small‑scale sculpture for a new age.

A Fantastical Tableau Cast in Bronze

In the echoing vaults of his Vienna foundry, Bergmann oversaw the creation of this whimsical yet sensuous piece. A delicate female nude perches astride a giant snail, her graceful limbs draped across the creature’s spiraling shell. Below, a finely veined marble bowl with soft amber striations provides both base and basin, lending the composition an aura of functional elegance. The entire work bears the discreet “B” in an urn‑shaped cartouche—the Bergmann stamp that connoisseurs recognize as the hallmark of authentic Viennese bronze.

Between Realism and Reverie

Bergmann’s workshops employed talented anonymous modelers who sculpted in clay before his master founders applied the lost‑wax process. Here, every subtle ripple of the snail’s textured shell is captured in metal, and the woman’s skin—smoothed to a satin sheen—catches the light as though breathing. Her head tilts back in a moment of serene delight, hair tumbling over the snail’s crest, while one foot extends playfully toward a satyr’s head tossed beside the bowl, hinting at myths of transformation and desire.

A Legacy Forged in Bronze

Bergmann’s foundry flourished at the turn of the century, producing countless patinated and cold‑painted bronzes celebrated across Europe. Though he passed on January 1, 1936, his name endures through these small masterpieces. Collectors prize the Bergmann stamp not only for its quality but as proof that each casting honors the atelier’s original artistry and the gilded optimism of Vienna’s golden age.

Elevating Modern Interiors

Whether displayed in a light‑filled salon or a refined study, this sculpture transforms any environment into a temple of art nouveau interior decor. Nestled upon a lacquered console or centered beneath a soft spotlight, the interplay of bronze and marble invites viewers to trace every spiral and curve, while the playful subject sparks conversation about beauty, fantasy, and the hidden narratives of nature.

A Timeless Emblem of Whimsy and Grace

More than a decorative accessory, the Female Nude on a Snail encapsulates Franz Xaver Bergmann’s lifelong dedication to blending technical mastery with imaginative vision. It stands as a testament to a moment when Vienna dared to dream in metal and stone, inviting today’s admirers to revel in the playful elegance that defines the very best of art nouveau statue artistry.

Height: 20 cm
Width: 20 cm
Depth: 14 cm
Weight: 2.4 kg
100% Bronze