Georg Kolbe Lot n° 152

George Kolbe Portrait Mrs. Josephine Kanzler 1932 or 1936 Bronze Height 35,6 cm. Mounted on a wooden base (8,9 x 23,4 x 17,6 cm). Monogrammed 'GK' (ligatured) on the right side, with the foundry stamp "H. NOACK BERLIN-FRIEDENAU" on the reverse. One of probably 4 copies. - With dark brown, partly somewhat lightened patina. - In good condition. Not at Berger We thank Ursel Berger, Georg-Kolbe-Museum Berlin, for kindly confirming information. Provenance Private property USA The subject of this portrait is Josephine Kanzler (1891-1954), wife of Ernest Carlton Kanzler (1892-1967). Ernest Kanzler was initially a lawyer, and in 1920 he became a production manager at the Ford Motor Company, where he quickly made a career and rose to corporate management. Edsel Bryant Ford, Henry Ford's son, was not only a close friend but also his brother-in-law, the latter married to Josephine's sister Eleanor. The Chancellor family lived in Detroit and belonged to the high society of the city. In the 1930s Ernest Kanzler, whose parents were of German origin, commissioned this portrait bust of his wife from Georg Kolbe. One of the probably four casts made was donated by Mr. and Mrs. Kanzler to the Detroit Institute of Arts, which they supported as patrons of the arts. The plaster on which the bronze casts were based is in the Georg Kolbe Museum, Berlin.