Austrian "Naughty" Cat Bronze, ca. 1900
GUEST:
I got it in Florida about 17 years ago. And I got it at an estate sale, but I don't know what I paid for it, I forgot.
APPRAISER:
Well, can you guess?
GUEST:
Somewhere probably around five dollars.
APPRAISER:
Well, it's really charming, and it's a bronze. It's what they call an Austrian cold-painted bronze. This cat also has a secret, doesn't it?
GUEST:
That's right.
APPRAISER:
The cat opens up, and it converts to a little naughty image here.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
And it's kind of, I would think, an early Transformer. This was probably done circa 1900. There was a very famous artist that made these. His name was Bergman, and he did large-scale sculptures.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
But he always signed his small, "naughty" bronzes, "Nam Greb," which is "Bergman" spelled backwards.
GUEST:
Oh.
APPRAISER:
And he always signed his pieces. This piece does not have Bergman's signature, so I have to assume it is a colleague or a contemporary of his. But it does have the Austria mark on the back, which indicates that it is an Austrian bronze, so what you've got here is a lovely little naughty bronze. By day, kitty, and by night, a, a very risqué image. Value on a piece like this, because they're highly collectible, is $2,000.
GUEST:
Oh, my goodness.
APPRAISER:
Isn't that fantastic?
GUEST:
Yes, it is.
APPRAISER:
Well, thank you very much for bringing it in. It's a lovely, lovely piece.
GUEST:
Thank you.
Appraisal Details
Current Appraised Value: $2,000 (Unchanged)
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