A GROUP OF COLD-PAINTED BRONZE & OTHER MINIATURES ANIMALS, IN THE MANNER OF FRANZ BERGMAN, CIRCA 1910, featuring a variety of creatures including a dog eating from a dish, two antelopes, a mouse, a robin perched on a fence, a donkey, a fox, a child being grabbed by a crocodile, a bumblebee, a frog, a chick, and an elephant. (11)
The robin on the fence is the tallest, measuring 6 cm high.
The dog and the robbin on the fence are painted lead
Provenance:
This collection originates from the estate of Sir Francis Whitmore, 1st Baronet KCB CMG DSO TD JP (1872-1962) of Orsett Hall, Essex, with most items tracing back to Apley Hall, the ancestral Whitmore home in Shropshire, sold in 1867.
Sir Francis Whitmore was a distinguished military officer who commanded the 10th Royal Hussars and served as the long-standing Commanding Officer of the Essex Yeomanry. He also held the position of Lord Lieutenant of Essex from 1936 to 1958.
The Whitmore lineage begins with Sir William Whitmore (1573-1648), a prominent landowner, successful lawyer, and member of both the Haberdashers' Company and the Merchant Adventurers. He represented Bridgnorth as an MP in 1621, 1624, and 1625.
Sir Francis’s grandmother, Lady Louisa Anne Whitmore, was the daughter of Sir Charles Douglas, 6th Marquess of Queensberry, and Lady Caroline Montagu-Scott. The latter was the daughter of Henry Scott, 3rd Duke of Buccleuch, and Lady Elizabeth Montagu, daughter of George, 1st Duke of Montagu.
The family traces its direct lineage to the House of Stuart through James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, the illegitimate son of Charles II.