A large and theatrical Swiss Black Forest jardinière in carved linden wood, circa 1870, formed as two bears at a gnarled tree, the crown of which opens into a naturalistic basin for a plant or palm.
A young bear scrambles up the trunk, forelegs thrown over a branch, glancing back at the adult below, who rears upright against the tree, head thrown back and mouth open, one forepaw raised toward the escaping climber. Both bears carry inset glass eyes, and the carving moves confidently between textures, the dense fur of the animals, the scaled bark of the trunk, and the burled, leafy crown of the basin, the whole rising from a molded circular base.
The bear is the emblematic subject of Brienz carving, and jardinières of this scale belong to the upper end of its production, sculptural furniture made for the salons and winter gardens of the hotel age. A single-bear jardinière of similar style is illustrated on page 121 of Swiss Carvings; the present example, over three and a half feet tall and fully carved from every angle, holds a room as few functional objects of the period can.
Dimensions: 43"height
Literature
Jay Arenski, Simon Daniels, and Michael Daniels, Swiss Carvings: The Art of the Black Forest, 1820–1940 (2006), p. 121, where a single-bear jardinière of similar style is illustrated.
A large and theatrical Swiss Black Forest jardinière in carved linden wood, circa 1870, formed as two bears at a gnarled tree, the crown of which opens into a naturalistic basin for a plant or palm.
A young bear scrambles up the trunk, forelegs thrown over a branch, glancing back at the adult below, who rears upright against the tree, head thrown back and mouth open, one forepaw raised toward the escaping climber. Both bears carry inset glass eyes, and the carving moves confidently between textures, the dense fur of the animals, the scaled bark of the trunk, and the burled, leafy crown of the basin, the whole rising from a molded circular base.
The bear is the emblematic subject of Brienz carving, and jardinières of this scale belong to the upper end of its production, sculptural furniture made for the salons and winter gardens of the hotel age. A single-bear jardinière of similar style is illustrated on page 121 of Swiss Carvings; the present example, over three and a half feet tall and fully carved from every angle, holds a room as few functional objects of the period can.
Dimensions: 43"height
Literature
Jay Arenski, Simon Daniels, and Michael Daniels, Swiss Carvings: The Art of the Black Forest, 1820–1940 (2006), p. 121, where a single-bear jardinière of similar style is illustrated.
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