Bruno Zach (1891-1945), Gladiator Ready For Battle, Around 1930 / - Ready For Anything -

Bruno Zach (1891 Zhitomir - 1945 Vienna), Gladiator ready for battle, c. 1930. Blackish patinated bronze with silver-plated helmet, shield rim and shield pommel mounted on a fluted marble base (4.5 cm high). 37 cm (total height) x 15 cm (width) x 12 cm (depth), weight 4 kg. Signed “Prf. Tuch”, the pseudonym of Bruno Zach, on the plinth.

- Silver plating on the helmet partially lost, patina somewhat rubbed, especially on the back, otherwise in excellent condition for its age.



- Ready for anything -


Bruno Zach's gladiator stands in antique contrapposto. However, his standing leg position is a slight extension, while the upper body is slightly bent backwards. This gives the figure a moment of movement that enlivens the scheme of the exemplary ancient statues. The design of the muscular naked body also goes beyond antiquity, although the body still displays an ideal beauty. The movement accentuates the magnificent body. The nakedness of the back eroticizes the figure in a straightforward way, so that the fighter appears all the more naked by the tight loincloth hanging down, the silver-plated helmet and the shield.
The moving posture not only shows the powerful athletic body, but also the will to fight, which also contributes to the eroticisation of the figure. The short sword stretched forward makes the defensive arm appear to be in an offensive stance, and its length corresponds to the loincloth...



About the artist

Originally from the Ukraine, Bruno Zach studied sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, where he was a pupil of Hans Bitterlich and Josef Müllner. In addition to more conventional representations of animals and sporting scenes, he mainly created erotic statuettes. He developed a particular mastery of chryselephantine sculpture, a term commonly used to describe the use of ivory in bronze sculpture. These works, which were considered salacious, had a clandestine character, which is why Bruno Zach signed them with various pseudonyms, such as 'Prof. Tuch', 'F. Mazura', 'K. Salat' or 'Barner'.