Help ID Who Is The Person On Cast Metal Statue

[kardinalisimo]

It's cast pot metal I believe. About 21" tall. But the hammer with the leaves is iron. That makes me think it is not the original one and was put to replace whatever the man was holding.
Any suggestions with who the sculpture depict will be welcomed!

Thanks in advance!

 

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[Breezie]

Looks like a young Poseidon. Neat find Breezie

 

[kardinalisimo]

Looks like a young Poseidon. Neat find Breezie

I had some suggestions that the sculpture have a Viking vibe because of the ship appearance. Some said it could be Lief Ericson or Jason the Argonaut. But if that was the case the ship would have sails and not having ship wheel. The same would refer to Poseidon. That's why I think it depicts more recent character.

 

[Archeodeb]

There is no reason to assume that because different metals were used the object in his hand is not original. Sometimes when a sculpture has parts that are small or delicate, they are cast in stronger materials so they hold up better. Also, with cheap castings, it is not uncommon to see the detailed bits made by someone else with more skill (or stamped out by a machine) and inserted into the main sculpture upon finishing. Either way, I don't see anything particularly indicative of any particular person or deity. Poseidon carried a trident and is usually portrayed as a bearded older man. Thor carried a hammer, but again -- usually bearded and the dress is all wrong. The twining vines around the central staff makes me think of Mercury (or Hermes) -- the messenger of the gods, but also the god of medicine. However the twining vines should have been two snakes and the hammer should have been wings. The leaves might be symbolic of "Leif" Erickson -- the hammer was a favorite Viking weapon as well (though it didn't really look like that one) but the clothing is all wrong for Vikings. Vulcan (or Hephaestus) was the god of the forge and used a hammer -- also would have been clothed liked that -- but he was lame, and I can think of no reason he would be at the helm of a ship with a modern looking ship's wheel. So... nothing really fits very well.

Maybe it isn't a "who" so much as a "spirit" or ideal that this depicts. Like victory, or hope, or love, etc. (Not those -- just examples of what I mean.) Maybe it is the spirit of exploration, or the embodiment of youth and adventure, or something like that?

 

[nhbenz]

I was wondering in the same direction as above... Maybe the wreath symbolizes peace, the hammer for hard work, and the ship's wheel for steering us in the right direction?
Are you super sure there's no maker/designer mark on this anywhere? (often hidden around the base of the metal part, assuming it's on a wooden stand)

 

[kardinalisimo]

I could not find any marks. Not super sure but maybe i have to examine again. The bottom of the sculpture was mounted to wooden base.
My own suggestion is that it could be a rendition of the Peter the Great statue in Moscow. His ship is differnet but the wheel and the standing position are similar. Holding a scroll but not hammer. Plus, he had Northern fleet, maybe that's like the ship of the sculpture i have looks viking.

 

[surf]

Hermes /Mercury Hermes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"He was the cleverest of the Olympian gods, and messenger to all the other gods.

Hermes is the son of Zeus and Maia. He is Zeus messenger. He is the fastest of the gods. He wears winged sandals, a winged hat, and carries a magic wand. He is the god of thieves and god of commerce. He is the guide for the dead to go to the underworld. He invented the lyre, the pipes, the musical scale, astronomy , weights and measures, boxing, gymnastics, and the care of olive trees."

Hermes

 

[yaxthri]

Couldn't (yet...) find a match, still trying.

This reminds me of vintage allegorical statues I've seen. Here are some depicting "steam", "telephone" and "telegraph", maybe this one depicts commercial seafaring, or some shipyard?...

Nautilus - Catalogo

 

[kardinalisimo]

I think i will never find out who is the dude. So, without identity, maker and circa what can i expect to get if i decide to sell?

 

[Archeodeb]

I think i will never find out who is the dude. So, without identity, maker and circa what can i expect to get if i decide to sell?

Don't sell yet -- we're still working on it. I think there may even be a Nazi connection, but that is quite vague and only a tiny possibility at this point. (You should go look at all the Nazi symbols involving hammers and oak leaves even a few ship's wheels. Amazing!) Besides, without any more info, your statue will not be worth much unless someone takes a personal fancy to it.

 

[yaxthri]

Arcaheodeb I did the same thing because of the oak leaves and hammer but with no success...
They look like they once had been gilded or painted golden or do I only see that?

 

[Mackaydon]

The oak leaves with hammer is found on Nazi material, including this shield:
VeteransFootlocker.com*
Don......

 

[ivan salis]

the ships whelel = seafaring---- the hammer is of a type used by craftsmen like a shipbuilder might use -- the young man is steering the vessel --- there used to be statues made that depicted the various "trades" -- I think this one represented "shipbuilding / ship repair " seafaring type people --with the hammer and oak leafs --maybe a nazi german era --ship building / repair yard related item

 

[kardinalisimo]

Interesting developing with the Nazi idea. I spent some time looking for marks or stamps again but nothing i can find. Just to correct myself about the hammer. Only the handle is iron, the rest is pot metal with gilt finish. Dont you tink gold tone metal would not go well with bronzed finish sculpture? Or maybe that was the idea, the hammer to stand out and distinguish from the main sculpture. Few other details on the boat, one leg of the man stands on an anchor tied to a bunch of rope, the other rests on a block and tackle. Also, his eye balls are concave. Hope we have new ideas soon. Thanks for the work so far!

 

[bman3725]

If I'm not mistaken i have seen this statue before and the persons name is Simon Peter from the bible. What he may have had in his hands was a bible to guide his way so to speak, remember ol' Simon Peter was a "fisher of men"

 

[kardinalisimo]

I don't see a lot of biblical motif in the piece. Plus, I would imagine St. Peter with beard or something. I think we are hitting dead end. Anyone can at least suggest a very reliable forum specialized in statues and sculptures?

 

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I don't know who the statue represents but I have one that I believe must be made by the same company....too many similarities. It's marked on the wooden base "germany". I will try to post pictures tomorrow.

 

[Red-Coat]

Just tidying up some blasts from the past (including some very ancient ones), largely for the benefit of anyone searching the site for information.

The depiction is not of anyone in particular. It’s one of a pair titled “L’Industrie” and “Le Commerce” (the latter is the one posted), meaning “industry” and “trade” respectively. They’re just artistic personifications of those two things and were produced in celebration of the Industrial Revolution in France, its past achievements and future aspirations. Originally they would have been on ebonised plinths with corresponding nameplates, like this:

I don’t know who was the original sculptor, but these were mass-produced in bronzed spelter (a cheap, low melting point zinc/lead alloy) in the late 1800s or early 1900s, particularly around the time of the Paris Exposition Universelle in 1900 and subsequent World Fairs. Some sellers say they’re made from a more sophisticated alloy known as ‘zamak’ (but that wasn’t developed until 1929) and inclusion of the word in descriptions has led some sellers to incorrectly conclude that “Zamak” was the name of the sculptor or manufacturer.

A number of sellers are asking unrealistically high prices on fleabay and elsewhere, but here’s a more realistic auction result for a group of four that included the Industrie/Commerce pair:

https://bid.eastbristol.co.uk/past-...-details/53ad46b7-cc24-4549-9458-aaa201030b8d