1060 - R. Müller, seated koala on base, terracotta, animal sculpture with paw to the cheek, signed

R. Müller, seated koala on base, terracotta, animal sculpture with paw to the cheek, signed Terracotta, red-brown, seated bear on a rectangular plinth, incised signature on the back of the plinth "R. Müller", head inclined forward, one front paw laid against the cheek, the other on the hind leg, surface smoothly modelled, plinth hollow, in condition commensurate with age, rubbed and slightly chipped, 18x13x11 cm (HxWxD). 360-degree photo available on our website. Terracotta denotes sculptures, reliefs and objects of fired, unglazed clay; in the Renaissance Donatello and the Della Robbia workshop revived the material for sculpture. In the 20th century animal sculpture became a genre of its own, shaped in Germany by August Gaul, Renée Sintenis, Gerhard Marcks and Ewald Mataré; the preferred material was bronze, later joined by other materials. As a ceramic sculpture, the terracotta koala figure belongs to the small-format animal sculptures of this tradition.