Lot 336: Robert Cauer The Elder, German (1831-1893) A carved white marble relief portrait of a girl

of circular form, the girl facing to sinister with her hair plaited, signed R. Cauer 1873 WGM, within a moulded white marble frame, 60cm diameter

Robert Cauer was from a German family of artists, his father was the sculptor Emil Cauer the elder (1800-1867), who studied in Berlin under Christian Daniel Rauch and later taught art at Bonn University; and his brother was the more famous Carl Cauer (1828-1885).
Robert first studied painting at the Akademie in Dusseldorf and then turned to sculpture after a prolonged period in Rome between 1856-1861. He created Romantic statuettes of themes such as Sleeping Beauty but also became a well respected portrait sculptor, creating roundels in relief of various patrons. The present sitter is unidentified but likely to be an actual portrait rather than an idealised figure.