Among the most beloved and technically demanding subjects in the Swiss Black Forest carving tradition, the anthropomorphic animal group occupied a special place in the repertoire of the Brienz workshops — a category in which the carver's technical ambition and his sense of comic theatre were given equal licence, and in which the finest examples achieved a level of sculptural quality that places them firmly within the tradition of European decorative art at its most accomplished.
This exceptional group depicts a fox and hare standing side by side on an oval naturalistic base carved with acorns, alpine flowers, and foliate detail — the forest floor rendered with the same precision and care as the figures themselves. Both animals are dressed in tailored coats of the period, the texture of the fabric rendered through the fine pebbled ground that is the hallmark of the Brienz carver's technique, with buttons, lapels, and belted details all crisply defined. The fox, sharp-featured and alert, carries at his waist a drum-form tobacco jar — the cylindrical container integrated into his costume with characteristic ingenuity. The hare, long-eared and expressively rendered, holds a bunch of carrots at his side, his coat equally precisely tailored. Both figures stand with the easy confidence of companions who have been walking together for some time.
The group functions as a pair of tobacco jars: the fox's drum lifts as one container, and the hare's head — hinged at the neck — raises as the lid of a second cylindrical tobacco vessel. This dual-function configuration, concealing the utilitarian purpose within the sculptural composition, is one of the defining characteristics of the finest Brienz anthropomorphic pieces — objects that reward the eye before they reveal their use. The carving throughout is of exceptional quality: the fur texturing is sensitively worked across both figures, the facial expressions carry genuine character and a hint of conspiratorial warmth, and the articulation of the paws is handled with a delicacy that speaks to a carver of considerable accomplishment.
As illustrated and discussed in Swiss Carvings: The Art of the Black Forest, 1820–1940 by Jay Arenski, Simon Daniels, and Michael Daniels (p. 61), paired anthropomorphic animal figures of this type represent one of the most celebrated categories within the Black Forest tradition — objects that combined sculptural ambition with narrative wit to produce pieces of enduring appeal for an international clientele. The Brienz carving industry, which reached its height in the final decades of the nineteenth century, supplied these works to the great exhibitions and world's fairs of the period, where Swiss carving was recognised as a distinct and accomplished decorative art form, as well as to the private clients, grand hotels, and luxury retailers of Europe and America.
The present group retains a rich, warm patina that speaks to age and honest handling, the linden wood surface having developed the deep, honeyed tone that only time produces. It stands as a refined and wholly characteristic example of Swiss Black Forest carving at its finest — combining technical mastery, decorative elegance, and the kind of quiet narrative charm that has ensured these objects a place in the most discerning collections for over a century.
Condition: Very good. Linden wood retains rich, warm patina throughout. Carving crisp and fully intact — no losses to fur texturing, tailoring details, paws, ears, or base flora. Fox tobacco jar drum present and functional. Hare head lid hinged and functional. Both tobacco containers clean and intact internally. A well-preserved example in honest original condition. Dimensions: 18” Height
Literature:
Jay Arenski, Simon Daniels, and Michael Daniels, Swiss Carvings: The Art of the Black Forest, 1820–1940, 2006, p. 61
Among the most beloved and technically demanding subjects in the Swiss Black Forest carving tradition, the anthropomorphic animal group occupied a special place in the repertoire of the Brienz workshops — a category in which the carver's technical ambition and his sense of comic theatre were given equal licence, and in which the finest examples achieved a level of sculptural quality that places them firmly within the tradition of European decorative art at its most accomplished.
This exceptional group depicts a fox and hare standing side by side on an oval naturalistic base carved with acorns, alpine flowers, and foliate detail — the forest floor rendered with the same precision and care as the figures themselves. Both animals are dressed in tailored coats of the period, the texture of the fabric rendered through the fine pebbled ground that is the hallmark of the Brienz carver's technique, with buttons, lapels, and belted details all crisply defined. The fox, sharp-featured and alert, carries at his waist a drum-form tobacco jar — the cylindrical container integrated into his costume with characteristic ingenuity. The hare, long-eared and expressively rendered, holds a bunch of carrots at his side, his coat equally precisely tailored. Both figures stand with the easy confidence of companions who have been walking together for some time.
The group functions as a pair of tobacco jars: the fox's drum lifts as one container, and the hare's head — hinged at the neck — raises as the lid of a second cylindrical tobacco vessel. This dual-function configuration, concealing the utilitarian purpose within the sculptural composition, is one of the defining characteristics of the finest Brienz anthropomorphic pieces — objects that reward the eye before they reveal their use. The carving throughout is of exceptional quality: the fur texturing is sensitively worked across both figures, the facial expressions carry genuine character and a hint of conspiratorial warmth, and the articulation of the paws is handled with a delicacy that speaks to a carver of considerable accomplishment.
As illustrated and discussed in Swiss Carvings: The Art of the Black Forest, 1820–1940 by Jay Arenski, Simon Daniels, and Michael Daniels (p. 61), paired anthropomorphic animal figures of this type represent one of the most celebrated categories within the Black Forest tradition — objects that combined sculptural ambition with narrative wit to produce pieces of enduring appeal for an international clientele. The Brienz carving industry, which reached its height in the final decades of the nineteenth century, supplied these works to the great exhibitions and world's fairs of the period, where Swiss carving was recognised as a distinct and accomplished decorative art form, as well as to the private clients, grand hotels, and luxury retailers of Europe and America.
The present group retains a rich, warm patina that speaks to age and honest handling, the linden wood surface having developed the deep, honeyed tone that only time produces. It stands as a refined and wholly characteristic example of Swiss Black Forest carving at its finest — combining technical mastery, decorative elegance, and the kind of quiet narrative charm that has ensured these objects a place in the most discerning collections for over a century.
Condition: Very good. Linden wood retains rich, warm patina throughout. Carving crisp and fully intact — no losses to fur texturing, tailoring details, paws, ears, or base flora. Fox tobacco jar drum present and functional. Hare head lid hinged and functional. Both tobacco containers clean and intact internally. A well-preserved example in honest original condition. Dimensions: 18” Height
Literature:
Jay Arenski, Simon Daniels, and Michael Daniels, Swiss Carvings: The Art of the Black Forest, 1820–1940, 2006, p. 61
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