A large Viennese cold painted bronze tiger model by Franz Bergman

Crafted around the turn of the twentieth century, this large cold-painted bronze depicting a Royal Bengal tiger was made in Vienna and is stamped for the famous and important maker Franz Xaver Bergman (Austrian, 1861-1936). Bergman's foundry produced a large number of patinated and cold-painted bronze objects, many of them with an Oriental, erotic, or animal theme. Tigers in particular were a popular motif, and most of his models are between 10 to 30cm in length; at over a meter, this piece is a truly colossal example. While many of his animal depictions are humorous, charming, or whimsical, this piece seems to be explicitly intended to convey the sheer presence and power of a fully grown adult tiger. 

115cm in length, this piece is stamped for Bergman and 'Geschutzt / Austria / 3353', with the familiar 'B' within a two-handled vase signature.