A rare German carved sandstone garden bench by Ferdinand Tietz or Dietz (1708-1777), Würzburg mid 18th century

the pierced back centerd by a satyr amongst rocaille above a seat with curved ends and a shaped scroll carved apron, on concave-fronted bracket supports; restored

Schloss Seehof, Bamberg, the summer residence of the Bishops of Seinsheim
Fischer-Böhler, Munich, 1978

In good weathered condition. There is a repaired break along the back of the seat from where the back has at some point been detached, the back has a vertical repaired break to one side and another filled in crack to the bottom left of the central scene. One of the supports has a broken and detached corner. Both the suports are particularly dirty.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Comparative Literature:
Bernard Wolfgang Lindemann, Ferdinand Tietz 1708-1777, Weissenhorn, 1989, plates 318 and 319.

This bench by one of the foremost sculptors active in Germany in the middle years of the 18th century encapsulates the spirit of South German rococo with its whimsical design. These garden benches in sandstone were not commissioned  but were made in a sculpture workshop and the landscape gardeners from the large Schloss would visit the workshop and then buy from stock. 

Related benches by the same maker, one of which is illustrated by Lindemann, op. cit., plate 319, is virtually identical to the present piece and is reproduced here in fig.1 . Another with a satyr  in repose on the back is illustrated by the same author op. cit., plate 319 and reproduced here in fig. 2.

Ferdinand Tietz (1708-1777) was an Austrian sculptor, active mainly in Germany and probably first studied with his father, the sculptor Johann Adam Tietz (1671–1742), and it is likely that he visited Vienna and was influenced by the work of Lorenzo Mattielli.

Ferdinand Tietz is first mentioned as a sculptor in 1736 at the Würzburg Residenz, working under Johann Wolfgang von der Auweras. Among Tietz's earliest definatively attributable independent works are the figures on the high altar of the parish church in Gaukönigshofen (1743), works in the Premonstratensian abbey church at Gerlachsheim (c. 1737). It was as a result of these commissions that Tietz became a serious rival to the Würzburg sculptors. In 1747 he went to Bamberg, where a year later he was made court sculptor. He received commissions from Philipp Anton von Franckenstein, Bishop of Bamberg, for sculptures for the Seehof Park and the Franckenstein Schloss Ullstadt (in situ) and it has been stated that  'Tietz's works are among the most refined creations of south German Rococo'.