2794 - August Gaul (1869 Großauheim/Hanau – 1921 Berlin)

August Gaul (1869 Großauheim/Hanau – 1921 Berlin) "Girl Riding a Donkey." Original title Bronze, dark brown patina, 1913. Signed "A. GAUL"; foundry mark "H NOACK BERLIN." Black marble base with white veining. Cat. no. Gabler 182. A fully three-dimensional depiction of a girl riding a donkey in a short-sleeved dress. While she holds her right hand loosely downward, her left arm is bent, with her hand placed in front of her stomach, suggesting she is holding the reins. Between 1911 and 1913, the prominent animal sculptor focused intensively on the motif of the donkey. He first created his so-called “Eselei” (Donkey Series) from various donkey figures, in which Gaul depicted typical representations of the animal in motion. This was followed in 1912 by an “Eselreiter” (Donkey Rider), and the following year by this small “Eselreiterin” (Female Donkey Rider). The model for the girl was likely Gaul’s own daughter, “Charlotte” (born 1901), and the donkey itself is also well known: A few years earlier, the Gaul family had received a donkey as a Christmas gift, which they affectionately named “Fritze” and which had been living in their own garden since 1907. For the children—and for Gaul himself—"Fritze" quickly became more than just a pet; he was one of his favorite models. While equestrian statues had traditionally carried heroic connotations, Gaul transformed this into a playful scene in *The Donkey Rider*, as the little rider is jostled vigorously by “Fritze” as he trots. Bronze—H. 15 cm, W. 15 cm. Marble base 2 cm x 12 cm x 4.5 cm. One example is in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts in Leipzig. See/Lit./Catalog No.: Josephine Gabler: “August Gaul. The Catalog of Sculptures,” Berlin 2007, Catalog No. 182, p. 179; Exhibition catalog “The Sculptors August Gaul and Fritz Klimsch,” Museum Giersch, Frankfurt am Main 2010, cat. no. 26. Dark brown patinated bronze, 1913. Signed; foundry stamp by Noack, Berlin. Black marble base.