116 - Ivory statue depicting a street musician

Ivory statue depicting a street musician Exquisitely carved, allowing one to see the details of the figure’s face and his accessories (flask of alcohol) The costume is inlaid with red and blue semi-precious stones cut in the antique style The music box, in the style of a portable barrel organ, is inlaid with colored enamel featuring interlaced patterns and birds The small monkey on his arm indicates that he was either a monkey trainer or a street musician of that era The animal is inlaid with sapphire-like stones and also features fine craftsmanship (hat) Finally, the base is made of chiseled and enameled metal with designs of fruit, flowers, and interlacing patterns on a square lapis lazuli base Austrian work from Vienna—circa 1890 H. 24 cm Weight: 557 g Item containing ivory; CIC obtained on 10/16/2026. For any shipment outside the EU, a re-export document will be required and is the responsibility of the buyer Note 1: A model of an organist by the same artist can be found in the Lizzadro Museum in Illinois, along with a second musician. Note 2: Beginning in the 18th century, southern Germany, northern Austria, and eastern Switzerland saw the development of a distinctive form of ivory craftsmanship: the creation of figurines. Most of these works are of great finesse and depict traditional or folkloric characters. This craft enjoyed immense success throughout Europe and supplied the cabinets of curiosities, display cases, and tables of wealthy families. Over time, artisans sought to distinguish themselves from one another. Often, the base or the style of carving served to differentiate the sculptors. Beginning in the 1870s, figures inlaid with gemstones began to appear, in the style of Renaissance or Indian ivory carvings. This innovation was the work of a currently unknown artist who created various figures of merchants and market characters in Vienna between 1870 and 1890. Currently, there are about twenty such figures, depicting wine merchants, watchmakers, mayors, musicians, market vendors, night watchmen, and others. A distinctive feature of this work is the inlaying of semi-precious stones into the ivory, giving the sculpture a look reminiscent of the character Pierrot, who was very fashionable in the late 19th century. There are three models of winegrowers by the same artist, one of which is housed at the Medeiros Museum in Lisbon.