Kunstyuki — old trinkets with a secret, causing delight

At all times, masters have created objects with secrets, striking with fine work and complex construction. The first such products were well-known matryoshka dolls. But over time, there was a demand for exquisite and unusual things that could decorate the life of aristocrats. So, in the middle of the 19th century, kunstukes came into fashion — miniature masterpieces that have no practical significance, but delight with their design and precise work.

It is difficult to surprise a modern person with something. Even mechanical coins created with jewelry precision do not impress everyone. But in the 19th century everything was different, and many of the creations of the masters seemed to people a real miracle. Souvenirs with a secret that are in Russia was called kunstyuki, they were an expensive pleasure. The name of these masterpieces comes from the German word Kunststück, which means "trick", "trick". They became objects of pride of their owners, which they showed to the guests.

The first kunstyuki appeared in Europe in the 18th century. In the Russian Empire, few people could afford such trinkets, and they got into the houses of the nobility only as a curiosity brought as a gift from abroad. But in the middle of the 19th century, the Austrian sculptor and caster Franz Bergmann changed everything. In 1860 , he founded the Vienna is a factory that has started mass-producing kunstyuki for every taste.

Franz Bergman, a man with great talent and incredible diligence, created masterpieces, and the factory produced them in series. These were figurines with funny animalistic and genre scenes, as well as popular oriental motifs at that time. It cannot be said that the work was put on stream. Bergman took every product of his factory seriously and the execution was always impeccable.

A special category of products became erotic genre kunstukas. In the 19th century, such works were treated with prejudice in society. Therefore, Bergman did not sign all the masterpieces of 18+ with his full name. They were marked with the letter "B" or the anagram "Nam Greb" (the surname written on the contrary).

Outwardly, the erotic cunts looked completely innocent. But when a hidden button or lever was pressed, a naked beauty appeared in front of the surprised viewer. Most often, Franz Bergman created nude girls hidden inside figures of animals, plants or Egyptian sphinxes.

The Bergman factory existed until the mid-1890s. Then, due to the economic crisis that engulfed Europe, the company closed. But in 1900, the master's son, Xavier Bergman, revived his father's business, and the company successfully operated until 1930.

Nowadays, the kunstukes created by Bergman and other masters in the century before last have become collectibles. They are sold at auctions, and the price of individual copies is estimated in the tens of thousands of dollars.