Ferdinand Preiss: Art Deco Sculptor - The Fire and the Flame

Johann Philipp Ferdinand Preiss (1882-1943) was the most prolific sculptor of the Art Deco period in Germany; he combined ivory, bronze, onyx and marble to create the most dazzling sculptures of his day. Preiss entered into an apprenticeship with his uncle, a master ivory carver, at the age of sixteen, following the death of his parents. He went on to become the most important Art Deco sculptor in Germany and, indeed one of the most accomplished in the whole of Europe, during the Nazi period. Th…