Aktien-Gesellschaft Gladenbeck

A Gladenbeck foundry casting of Victoria on top of the Berlin Victory Column

Aktien-Gesellschaft Gladenbeck was a foundry located in Berlin, Germany, that operated from 1851 until 1926. During the 75-year period when the foundry was in operation it was one of the most important foundries in Germany and was known for producing high quality bronze castings.[1]

History

The Aktien-Gesellschaft Gladenbeck foundry opened for business in 1851[2] in Berlin, Germany, under the leadership of its founder, Carl Gustav Hermann Gladenbeck.[3] It was one of the most important foundries in Germany, known for high quality bronze castings.[1] Some of the first bronze sculptures that emerged from the foundry were marked "Gladenbeck" with subsequent castings over the years being marked "Gladenbeck und Sohn", "Akt-Ges v.H. Gladenbeck", "Akt-Ges Gladenbeck Berlin" or "Aktien-Gesellschaft Gladenbeck".[3]

The foundry cast many of the best known bronze sculptures created by German artists in the mid-to-late 19th century and early 20th century.[1] In addition to serving the usually modest casting requirements of German sculptors,[1] the foundry was also capable of casting large-scale bronze statues. In 1913 the Gladenbeck foundry cast the monumental Confederate Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery.[4][5]

In 1910, Gladenbeck cast the "Three Dancing Maidens" Untermyer fountain by sculptor Walter Schott. The fountain is located in Conservatory Garden, Central Park, New York. The sculpture – situated on a limestone plinth – depicts three young ladies holding hands in a circle "whose dresses cling to their wet bodies as if they were perpetually in the fountain's spray". The fountain includes three jets, two on the oval pool's sides and a larger one in the center of the sculpture.[6]

In the 1920s, art deco master Ferdinand Preiss employed Gladenbeck to cast many of his bronze and chryselephantine sculptures.[7]

Foundry mark and seal

Aktien-Gesellschaft Gladenbeck foundry mark, c. 1902

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Bankruptcy

The foundry went out of business in 1926 when it declared bankruptcy.[3]

Other Gladenbeck works

Gallery

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Oscar Gladenbeck (1850-1921)". ISSUU.com. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  2. ↑ Schmetzke, A. (1999/2008), Hugo Rheinhold ... and his Philosophizing Monkey: Gladenbeck. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 "Gladenbeck". uwsp.edu. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  4. ↑ Cox, "The Confederate Monument at Arlington...", p. 157.
  5. ↑ "Confederate Memorial (sculpture)." Art Inventories Catalog. Control Number: IAS 76005910. Smithsonian American Art Museum. 2012. Accessed 2015-6-17.
  6. ↑ "Untermyer Fountain". Central Park Conservancy. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
  7. ↑ Shayo, Alberto: Ferdinand Preiss: Art Deco Sculptor--The Fire and the Flame ISBN 1851494820
  8. ↑ "Biography: Hermann Gladenbeck (1827-1918)". toboganantiques.com. Retrieved 18 June 2015.

Bibliography

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