Dear Helaine and Joe: I acquired this 14-inch tall heavy metal lamp in Turkey in the 1970s. What is it, and what is its value? — M.H., Hayward, Calif.
Dear M.H.: The flamboyant imagery of a rifle-toting Bedouin leading a camel laden with a lady strumming a lute under a brightly stripped awning logically suggests that this lamp could be Middle Eastern in origin . . . but it is not. Despite the fact this piece was bought in Turkey, it began its life to the north in the very European city of Vienna, Austria.
Collectors call this sort of work "cold painted Vienna bronze," and the term refers to figural pieces cast in that city and subsequently decorated by painting their surface with oil paint. This pigment was not fired on — thus the term "cold painted," and bronze is an alloy of copper and tin that artists have long used in the crafting of all sorts of art objects.
In the late 19th century, bronze sculptures featuring representations of animals and people were very popular. Great art was created this way, but in Vienna more mundane and more whimsical objects were often crafted as well.
Figure groups featuring the denizens of fairy tales and Beatrix Potter's stories, hunting scenes, mice orchestras, frogs in taverns, and realistic depictions of a wide variety of animals were very popular. The animals were sometimes family pets immortalized in precise detail or they were incredibly realistic, miniature renderings of specimens found in the Vienna Zoo.
There were also erotic representations of young women posed in the Art Nouveau style. Their nudity was characteristically hidden by some sort of covering that opened when a button was pushed or a segment moved. An owl, for example, might pop open to reveal a sensuously posed woman inside.
In addition, depictions of Native Americans and Asian themes were much in demand. Beautiful representations of American Indians by Carl Kauba (an American artist working in Vienna) and others are much in demand as are elaborate lamps such as the one owned by M.H., which typically feature camels, Arabs, an oasis pool, a beautiful woman and palm trees.
Many of the most desired examples are signed by the artist (such as Carl Kauba who was mentioned above), but the most important name in cold painted Vienna bronzes was Franz Bergman. Pieces by this prolific maker can be found signed with the last name spelled backward (Namgreb), with a "B" monogram or with the Bergman name.
Signed pieces are generally more valuable than unsigned pieces and M.H. should examine her lamp very closely, looking for the tell-tale signature. Even without an artist's signature, this exotic lighting device is quite valuable and should be insured in the $4,500 to $5,000 range.
Helaine Fendelman is feature editor at Country Living magazine and Joe Rosson writes about antiques at The Knoxville News Sentinel in Tennessee. Questions can by mailed to them at P.O. Box 12208, Knoxville, TN 37912-0208.