2936 - Ferdinand Lepcke (1866 Coburg – 1909 Berlin)

Ferdinand Lepcke (1866 Coburg – 1909 Berlin) "Phryne." Original title Bronze, dark patina. Posthumous casting, Lauchhammer, 20th century; a nude figure of the Greek hetaera standing on a round plinth, draping a cloth around herself. The larger-than-life, idealized figure of “Phryne” is considered one of Lepcke’s most significant works. From 1883 to 1890, he studied at the Berlin Academy, becoming a master student of Fritz Schaper in 1888. In 1891, the Prussian Academy of Arts awarded him the Grand State Prize, which included a one-year scholarship in Rome for 1892–93. Several lifetime casts of the “Phryne”—modeled in 1907–08, and exhibited at the Great Berlin Art Exhibitions in 1908 and 1909, several lifetime casts exist as freestanding sculptures in parks and public squares or in public ownership, including in Berlin and Coburg. After the artist’s death, his brother sold numerous models by Lepcke to the Lauchhammer art foundry, which played a decisive role in furthering the sculptor’s reputation. Height: approx. 185 cm. Lit.: *Die Kunst*, Monthly Journal for Fine and Applied Arts, Vol. 19, 1909, ill. p. 77 (Great Berlin Art Exhibition 1908); Cat. Great Berlin Art Exhibition 1909, no. 967. Dark patinated bronze. Posthumously cast by Lauchhammer, 20th century.