Unknown Artist - French Bronze, circa 1860... Standing Nude Boy.. Playing a Tune for a Couple of Rabbits

This small bronze arrived several weeks ago from another UK Antiques Dealer. There is not much information about it other than the obvious. The Dealer listed it as a French bronze circa 1860. Enjoy:

Lucy Gwendolen Williams (British, 1870-1955) ...... Art Deco Bronze of a Nude Boy

This little Bronze, circa 1930's casting, is headed into my collection from an Antiques Dealer in Britain. These small sculptures don't take up a lot of space and add an amusement factor to my collection. Williams was born in Lower Bebington, Cheshire, UK. During the 1890s she studied at the Wimbledon College of Arts under the tutelage of Alfred Drury, later moving to the Royal College of Art where she was taught by Professor Edouard Lantieri. Although she also painted watercolours and reliefs, her main work was in bronze or marble, consisting of statuettes, busts and children's heads. In 1893, whilst still a student at Wimbledon College, some of her work was exhibited at the Royal Academy and she was to continue exhibiting there until 1935. Her work was also shown at the Royal Scottish Academy, the Paris Salon and in Rome and New York. Williams awards included silver medals at the National Eisteddfod of Wales and the Franco-British Exhibition and a bronze Santiago medal. Her private patrons included Queen Alexandra of Denmark and Queen Margherita of Italy, while examples of her work in Britain include two bronze statuettes in Leeds and one in Liverpool. She died in Buxton in 1955.

And here is a sampling of her other works:

Alfred COSSMANN (Graz 1870-1951 Vienna) Book Plate - Standing Male Nude

My favorite Art Gallery in Berlin, Germany listed this beauty of a print recently and I snapped it up! The amount of detail and conservation of line locked into that small intaglio print of a male nude just boggles the mind. The artist should be nominated for Sainthood! If you are into how "lines" and their variation define an image then this is your nirvana! Just let your creative eye surf over those defined forms and then make a wish on how you can improve your cretive work. Look at how the artist has defined the musculature of the upper shoulder and scapulur. Lines start from an area of empty lightness, suddenly define a shadow then dip into an hillside of lightness and then elevate over that hill into an area of darker shadow of perpendicular crosshatching underlying the area of shading. Take a look at the opposite shoulder and notice how the artist has delicatly varied the depth and width of the line! The artist had complete command of his media. The image itself measure a meager 2 and 1/4 inches by 4 and 1/8th inches (6cm by 10.3cm). Alfred Cossmann was born in Graz, but spent most of his life in Vienna, where he studied ceramics, painting and graphics at the Vienna School of Applied Arts from 1886 to 1895. Since his studies he has been a member of the Vienna Academic Gymnastics Club. He turned to pure copper engraving, which had become unfashionable at the time, and continued his education at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna until 1899. He belonged to the “Vienna School of Engraving”. Cossmann's works received attention and recognition among graphic artists and art lovers around the world.

Jean-Paul Milliet (1844-1918) Pencil Drawing of a Seated Nude Youth - Circa 1900

I was on eBay Germany this morning when I decided to visit an Art dealer that I have bought from in the past and happened upon this very nice pencil drawing of a seated nude boy. It was very affordable so I snapped it up (Poor watchers of the auction missed their chance to own it... too bad, so sad). The seller (Antike Original-Graphic) on eBay Germany also had in his inventory quite a few other what appear to be working line drawings of both male and female nudes. Unlike some other sellers on the European Auction sites the Gallery asking prices are in the "affordable range" so if you are interested in adding to you own collection then pay the Gallery a visit. Here is the biographical information provided by the seller: Jean-Paul Milliet was born on March 6, 1844 in Le Mans (Pays de la Loire). He was a French historical and decorative painter, archaeologist and writer. After the coup d'état of 1851, he went into exile in Geneva with his father Félix. There he was a student of Jean-Léonard Lugardon. In 1863 Milliet returned to France. In Paris he worked for Charles Gleyre, among others. In the years 1866-69 and 1872-79 he made several study trips to Italy. Milliet decorated the ceiling in the large foyer of the Grand Théâtre in Geneva. He also created numerous decorative paintings in French official buildings such as in Paris, Reims and Rouen. Milliet died on January 8, 1918 in Paris. Here is an additional sampling of the other drawings by this artist currently up for sale:

In addition to the work by Milliet, the seller has also listed drawings by Karl Ludwig Nagel (1898-1959), Eduard Winkler (1884-1978), and Ludwig Berwald (1865-1943). Here is a sampling of the Nagel listings:

Here is a sampling of the Winkler listings:

And here is a sampling of the Berwald listings: