Aktien-Gesellschaft Gladenbeck
(1851-1926)
Aktien-Gesellschaft Gladenbeck was one of the leading bronze foundries in Germany during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Founded in Berlin in 1851 by Carl Gustav Hermann Gladenbeck, the firm quickly earned a reputation for producing exceptionally high-quality bronze castings. Over its 75 years of operation, Gladenbeck became a central name in German and European sculpture, casting works that ranged from intimate figures to monumental public commissions.
Early bronzes were signed simply Gladenbeck, while later examples carried marks such as Gladenbeck und Sohn, Akt-Ges v.H. Gladenbeck, Akt-Ges Gladenbeck Berlin, or Aktien-Gesellschaft Gladenbeck. These variations help date the foundry’s output and remain an important marker for collectors today.
Variation of the Aktien-Gesellschaft Gladenbeck foundry mark on a bronze sold by Jacksons Antique
Gladenbeck produced many of the most significant bronzes created by German sculptors of the mid-to-late 19th century and into the 20th century. The foundry’s technical skill extended to large-scale works, including the monumental Confederate Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery, completed in 1913. Another of its most celebrated projects was the Three Dancing Maidens (also known as the Untermyer Fountain) by Walter Schott, cast in 1910 and now a centrepiece of New York’s Central Park Conservatory Garden. The lively figures, their dresses clinging as though caught in the fountain’s spray, remain one of the best-known examples of Gladenbeck’s ability to translate sculptural detail into bronze.
German Bronze Don Quixote by Oskar Garvens cast by Aktien-Gesellschaft Gladenbeck
Previously sold by Jacksons Antique
In the 1920s, the firm worked with Art Deco sculptor Ferdinand Preiss, producing many of his highly sought-after bronze and chryselephantine figures. These collaborations highlight the foundry’s continued importance at the forefront of European decorative arts well into the modern era.Despite its prestige and accomplishments, the Gladenbeck foundry declared bankruptcy in 1926, bringing an end to a distinguished chapter in German bronze casting. Today, works marked by Gladenbeck remain highly regarded, prized both for their technical excellence and for the foundry’s role in shaping European sculpture during its peak years.