An Art Deco bronze and ivory figure of a dancer, Gerda Ido Gergado (1906-2004), circa 1930 modelled with her arms outstretched in a lunging pose, dressed in a colourful cold painted costume inspired by the ballet Russe. Mounted on an oval green onyx base. Signed Gerdago with Arthur Rubinstein foundry mark. 36 cm high. Provenance: Private Collection, Melbourne. Exhibited: for an identical example please see Elton John volume III: Art Nouveau and Art, Deco, Sotheby's London, 7 September 1988. Literature: Victor Arwas, 'Art, Deco Sculpture', Academy Editions/St Martins press, 1992, p.98 . Other Notes: Gerda Iro Gottstein, known as 'Gerdago' was artistically trained in Berlin in 1927 and Paris in 1928 & 1929 and worked as an assistant to the architect Oskar Strnad, in the period of 1925 and 1930 'Gergado' designed numerous statuettes, the figures in predominantly dramatic postures wear bold costumes with often eccentric headgear and are usually decorated with colorful, cold-painted enamel and richly gilded, the Viennese foundry Artur Rubinstein made the Gerdago-signed objects after Gergado's drawings and designs, in the 1930s, her love of fashion manifested into designing costumes for the stage, where she was discovered by the director Willi Forst, who hired her for his early productions as a costume designer.