I have a rare bronce sculpture from "Franz from Stuck". It is from
Germany around 1910, Munich. It looks very original and shows a
Amazonian Woman on a horse.

Somebody knows how much this is worth and who would buy it ?

Jung10

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Request for Question Clarification by denco-ga on 25 Sep 2003 14:39 PDT

Howdy jung10,

Is the sculpture you have similar to this one?

http://images.artnet.com/picturecmp.asp?date=20021204&catalog=16365&gallery=173&lot=00054

Thanks!  denco-ga

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Clarification of Question by jung10-ga on 25 Sep 2003 15:31 PDT

Yes, this is exactly my sculpture.

How much is it worth ???

Howdy jung10,

According to this artnet.com account of this relatively recent
sale of a Franz von Stuck "Amazone" at Christie's London on
December 4, 2002, your piece, if authentic, etc. might be worth
up to $27,000.
http://www.artnet.com/Auction/AuctionsOnLineDetail.asp?LotID=2697300&AUID=25259&T=52&page=3

Artist: Franz von Stuck
Title: Amazone
Sale Of: Christie's London : December 04, 2002 [Lot 54]
19th Century European Art
Year: 1897
Size: 25.5 x 15.0 in. / 64.8 x 38.0 cm
Medium: Bronze with Brown Patina
Sold For: 19,120 BP (US$ 30,063) Premium
Estimate: 12,000 - 18,000 BP (US$ 18,547 - 27,820)
Misc.: Inscribed, Stamped
Foundry: Guss C. Leyrer ed.
Impression: 1906

There are several things which could affect the value of your
bronze.  Note that the above example has a "Brown Patina."
Sometimes different impressions are done with different patinas,
with some of those having greater (or less) appeal and value.
Also, the patina should be as original as possible.  Some people
mistake patina for dirt and clean or polish the surface, with
the result being a great decrease in value.

It is important to note that the above impression of Stuck's
"Amazone" was sold at an auction of 19th Century European Art.
If you put your piece up for sale by auction, you will want it
shown with other pieces of its time or type.  In other words,
to get the maximum price for it, you will want it placed in an
auction of other works by Franz von Stuck, or other late 19th
Century sculptures, etc.

The fact that above piece was at Christie's London is not to
be ignored.  Sometimes pieces have a greater appeal in one
country, perhaps Germany in this case, or in one venue versus
another.

Each auction house has its own way and forms that will provide
you an appraisal, whether they would sell your bronze, and how
much it could bring.  Here are the appropriate pages for three
of major auction houses.

Bonhams & Butterfields
http://www.butterfields.com/services/appraisals/appraisals.html

Sotheby's
http://search.sothebys.com/about/contact/as_estreq.html

Christie's
http://www.christies.com/consignments/how_to.asp

All three ask for the same general information, such as the
following, to be mailed or emailed to them, along with some
good images.

- Object Description
- What is the name of the artist or painter?
- What are the dimensions?
- What is the medium?
- Describe any markings or signatures. Include a photograph if
possible.
- Describe the object's condition.
- What is the provenance?
- Has [it] ever been exhibited or appeared in any publication?

Typical costs of selling a piece like yours at auctions is 10%
(the premium) of the selling price, and there might be listing
fees for the catalog, both printed and online, which will run
you a couple of hundred dollars.

You could also go through an art dealer, but the auction route
should get you the fastest turn-around.

If you need any clarification, feel free to ask.


Search Strategy:

Personal experience as a former art history major, and served
on the board of an online art auction company.

Google search on: "Franz von Stuck" bronze
://www.google.com/search?q=%22Franz+von+Stuck%22+bronze

Looking Forward, denco-ga

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Request for Answer Clarification by jung10-ga on 27 Sep 2003 00:12 PDT

Thank you guys for this great answers and comments.

Oliver

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Clarification of Answer by denco-ga on 27 Sep 2003 09:39 PDT

A pleasure Oliver!  Thanks for the 5 star rating and kind comment.

Looking Forward, denco-ga

That actually could be worth quite a bit of money, if it's an
original.

Franz Von Stuck was a German symbolist, painter and sculptor
(1863-1928) his students include: E. Martin Hennings.

His artwork is displayed in museums all over the world from the
Hermitage Museum in Russia, to the Fine Arts Museum in San Francisco.
He also has work on display in Rome, Amsterdam, etc.

For examples of his artwork, auction prices, and examples of the
signatures and symbols used on his pieces you can visit:

http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/stuck_franz_von.html

Christie's listed a piece identical to what you are describing for
auction in July of 2003.

You can see the auction sheet here as HTML

http://216.239.33.104/search?q=cache:oaKeQ0j-gIAJ:www.christies.com/presscenter/pdf/07172003/Aug03DecArtsPressReleasepresale.pdf+Franz+from+Stuck+sculpture+prices&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

And quoted from that is:

"The sale also features a particularly fine selection of art deco
bronze sculpture at prices estimated upwards from about $1,000. The
highlight is an Austrian Bronze Equestrian Group of an Amazon – the
naked female warrior, wearing a plumed helmet, and preparing to throw
a spear, rides her steed bareback and grasps its mane is set on a tall
moulded plinth. It is cast after the model by Franz von Stuck
(1863-1928), Munich, circa 1905 and carries a pre-sale estimate of
$8,000-10,000"

The value of any piece of art truly depends on the buyers. Some
artwork sells for extremely high prices at auction. You should have
your piece verified (which can be done at any major auction house) and
they could tell you the approximate value at auction. They can also
assist in selling your piece.

Based on the previous auction though, if your sculpture is authentic,
the value would seem to be around $8000-$10,000.

Information on contacting Christie's about an appraisal can be found
here:http://www.christies.com/appraisals_valuation/overview.asp

They also have an overview on how to sell which can be found here:

http://www.christies.com/howtosell/overview.asp

Hope this helps. I'm not a research for Google, but I had some time to
kill and found your question interesting. I hope that information is
useful to you.