Bidspirit auction | Pair of grotesque figures, Central

Pair of grotesque figures, Central Europe, 19th-20th centuries - Total weight: 630 g made of deer antlers, mounted on turned brass bases with marble plinths. The two sculptures represent caricatured characters, depicted with highly expressive faces, thick beards, pronounced eyebrows, and open mouths in lively, theatrical poses. The rustic headdresses and deeply pleated clothes help to intensify the satirical and popular effect of the figures, deliberately inclined to suggest an ironic dialogue between the two subjects.  Due to their stylistic characteristics, choice of material, and technique, the sculptures can be attributed to the Central European Alpine region, particularly southern Germany, Austria, or Tyrol, regions known in the 19th century for the production of small figures in horn, bone, and wood with grotesque or satirical subjects. This type of work was often intended for Wunderkammer, bourgeois collections, or as curiosities to be hunted down. Height x width x depth I: 23 x 6 x 6 cm; Height x width x depth II: 23 x 6 x 6 cm.