Lot 558 Dα

The fruit collector was a theme that occupied the Berlin sculptor Reinhold Boeltzig (1863 - 1941) for a number of years and which he realised in a wealth of materials. In white marble, she was presented at the Great Berlin Art Exhibition in 1908. After that, bronze sculptures were created with brown patina as well as chryselephantine, cast by Gladenbeck. For the version in wood presented here, the sculptor glued together solid pieces of walnut before carving out the figure. Finally, the wood was given a polychrome finish which, together with the fine martellation, creates a metallic effect. It is possible that Boeltzig used the sculpture as a preliminary study for a bronze cast.