“Flame Leaper” from the studio of the German sculptor, Ferdinand Preiss, will be offered for sale for the first time, at Sotheby’s Australia on March 20, 2019. This sculpture was a gift to the wife of superintendent marine engineer Allan Dalziel, at the launch of the “SS Iron Knight,” by the ship’s designers, and for the last 82 years, it has been in the same family. As Sotheby’s says, it is a “tribute to early 20th-century achievement offered for sale for the first time. This beautiful bronze and ivory statue exemplifies perfection of design found in both art and industry.” Describing the style and art practice of the artist, the auction house says, “The statues designed by Ferdinand Preiss during the 1920s and 1930s represented the height of Art Deco style between the two world wars. Their popularity reached its peak in his depictions of the exotic dancers and performers in the vibrant nightclubs of Berlin. The appetite for Preiss’ work grew beyond the borders of Europe, to the extent that Great Britain became one of his most important markets. Here, his figures could be purchased from luxury retailers such as Waring and Gillow and the Phillips and MacConnal Gallery. It is likely that this is where the present ‘Flame Leaper’ came to the attention of Sir Joseph W. Isherwood & Co. Ltd as an appropriate gift to Mrs. Dalziel on the launch of the ship with which her husband had been so closely associated.” According to Sotheby’s Australia, Allan Dalziel and the “SS Iron Knight” made a long lasting impression on the Australian shipping industry, where Dalziel, with BHP, played a key role in reinvigorating ship building in Australia, while tragically, the “SS Iron Knight” served as a lasting reminder of the perils faced by the merchant navy during the Second World War as in 1943 it was sunk in waters off the town of Bermagui by a Japanese submarine. Geoffrey Smith, Chairman of Sotheby’s Australia, says, “Allan Dalziel and Ferdinand Preiss were both men of exacting standards in their respective professions. Just as Preiss distilled the energy and movement of a dancer in his design for ‘Flame Leaper’ in exacting detail, for Dalziel the statue symbolised the pinnacle of achievement in the Australian industry. Sotheby’s Australia is proud to be offering this wonderful statue in our first auction for 2019.”  https://www.blouinartinfo.com/              Founder: Louise Blouin Read more