Lot number 3384 - Auction 160
BIBER

ERNST ZEHLE 1876 Hamburg - 1940 Berlin BEAVER Bronze, dark patina, on an oval plinth and marble base (H. 3 cm). Overall height 15 cm, width 21 cm, depth 12 cm, weight approx. 4 kg. Signed 'E. Zehle' on the reverse of the plinth. A rare depiction of a beaver in a concentrated, tense pose, engaged in its characteristic cutting action with its powerful incisors. The design is closely related to the bronze "Cutting Beaver," which Ernst Zehle presented at the Great Berlin Art Exhibition in 1925. Zehle was demonstrably actively involved in the protection of the Elbe beavers. Minor damage and loss of patina. Provenance: Private collection, Berlin.