Standing Fox as Hunter (Tobacco Jar)
Dated 1870
Brienz, Switzerland
Walnut
This anthropomorphic figure of a fox dressed as a hunter was conceived as a tobacco jar, with the head forming a removable lid. The work integrates utilitarian function within a fully developed sculptural composition, characteristic of Black Forest carving produced in Brienz during the later nineteenth century.
The fox stands upright on a circular base, clothed in a short cape and rendered with careful attention to posture and expression. The fur is articulated through dense, directional tool marks that convey texture and volume, while the garments are differentiated through more restrained modeling. The facial features are sharply defined, lending the figure an individualized and alert presence.
Anthropomorphic animal subjects of this type were informed in part by the literary tradition of Reynard the Fox, whose widely circulated fables contributed to the popularity of animal figures endowed with human attributes. Within the Brienz carving industry, such narrative objects were produced for both domestic use and export.
Dated 1870, the work reflects the technical refinement and imaginative scope associated with Swiss Black Forest carving in the second half of the nineteenth century.
Standing Fox as Hunter (Tobacco Jar)
Dated 1870
Brienz, Switzerland
Walnut
This anthropomorphic figure of a fox dressed as a hunter was conceived as a tobacco jar, with the head forming a removable lid. The work integrates utilitarian function within a fully developed sculptural composition, characteristic of Black Forest carving produced in Brienz during the later nineteenth century.
The fox stands upright on a circular base, clothed in a short cape and rendered with careful attention to posture and expression. The fur is articulated through dense, directional tool marks that convey texture and volume, while the garments are differentiated through more restrained modeling. The facial features are sharply defined, lending the figure an individualized and alert presence.
Anthropomorphic animal subjects of this type were informed in part by the literary tradition of Reynard the Fox, whose widely circulated fables contributed to the popularity of animal figures endowed with human attributes. Within the Brienz carving industry, such narrative objects were produced for both domestic use and export.
Dated 1870, the work reflects the technical refinement and imaginative scope associated with Swiss Black Forest carving in the second half of the nineteenth century.
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