H: 34 in / 86 cm | W: 53.5 in / 136 cm | D: 18 in / 46 cm
Description
A 'Black Forest' Bear Bench
Constructed in carved Lindenwood, the seat supported by two free-standing bears; the frame of the bench modelled from branchwork with a carved bear in the central roundel amongst oak foliage, whose leaves are also carved in low relief on the seat.
Brienz area, circa 1890
Brienz, Bernese Oberland, Switzerland
Brienz, in the Bernese Oberland, Switzerland was remarked upon in Baedeker's Travel Guide, as having a population of 2400, of whom 600 persons were employed as woodcarvers, to supply the tourist trade to Switzerland with mementos of the tour. A museum devoted entirely to the art of wood carving may be visited today.
Literature:
Arenski, Jay, Simon Daniels, and Michael Daniels. Swiss Carvings: The Art of the 'Black Forest' 1820-1940. Woodbridge: Antique Collectors' Club, 2005, illustrating related examples.
