Austrian cold-painted bronze Art Deco style lamp by Bruno Zach

This intriguing cold-painted bronze figurative lamp was designed and crafted by Bruno Zach (1891-1935), a renowned Austrian artist.

The piece depicts a scantily clad female elegantly dancing in the middle of a rug. The body of the stylised woman is silvered, and gold detailing is used to accentuate her lingerie along with long gloves. A bright silver cloth is placed on the lower part of the body and is draping behind her. She Is portrayed with a short bob, a hairstyle typical of the Art Deco style. Delicate yet eye-catching red feather detailing draws the viewer’s attention to certain parts of her body. Highly sophisticated women, often dancers, were the usual focus of Zach’s work, making this sculptural lamp a very desirable piece.

In front of the dancer sits cross-legged another female playing on a mandolin. She is singing for and looking directly at the performer as if mesmerised by her dance. The musician is dressed in Orientalist style clothing rendered in shades of cream and gold, beautifully standing out against the polychrome geometric patterns on the rug.

On the right-hand side extends a bamboo construction with palm tree leaves from which hangs a minaret-style lamp adorned with chain ornaments. The textured blue detailing inside the lamp creates an intriguing effect when lit. Hanging on the bamboo stick is a tiger’s skin draped on the locked chest nearby. Additional musical instruments are also displayed on it alongside a large fan.

The implementation of the complex cold-painting technique enabled Zach to portray the scene in very vibrant colours, bringing life to the story.

The piece is signed ‘SALAT’, a signature used by Zach on some of his works.

Bruno Zach was born in Ukraine but moved to Vienna where he could develop his sculpting skills and grow his career. The Austrian capital was one of the main centres of production for bronze figures, which Zach became renowned for.

The combination of Orientalist and Art Deco features makes this piece a particularly interesting example of Zach’s work, one which would be a magnificent addition to one’s collection of Viennese cold-painted bronzes.