After Nikolai Lieberich (Russian, 1828-1883) A Reclining Bear Cub Bronze, rock crystal Possibly the Grizar Factory, St. Petersburg, circa 1880-1890 2-1/2 x 8-1/4 x 6 inches (6.3 x 21.0 x 15.2 cm) PROVENANCE: Property of a New York Family Sculptor Nikolai Lieberich modeled his popular work "Reclining Bear Cub" in 1871, and the work was promptly issued in casts by two factories as well as copied by Russian imitators. The Woerffel Factory issued casts with integral bases signed in cast, and the Grizar Factory issued extremely high-quality casts of the cub without any base at all. The offered lot may have been produced by the Grizar Factory, and attached, in the period, to a slab of rock crystal, a popular treatment for sculpture in Russia at the time. Leon Grizard (Lev Lvovich Grizar') was a supplier of bronze work to the Imperial Court, had a foundry in St. Petersburg, and owned a retail shop in St. Petersburg. HID12401132022 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved