A rare and exceptionally fine signed work by Johann Huggler, the pre-eminent master of the Swiss Black Forest carving tradition: a walnut wild boar striding with head raised and jaws open.
The animal is powerfully modeled. Dense, directional toolwork describes the coarse bristles of the coat, deeply undercut at the belly and legs, over musculature that is fully understood, and the head, with its open jaws, tusks, and alert eye, carries the animal's character with real force. The integrally carved rocky base is stamped J. HUGGLER LAUTERBRUNNEN on one side and the retailer Peter Buri on the other, with paired marks that record both the carver and the piece's passage through the Swiss retail trade of the period.
Johann Huggler (1834–1912) stands at the summit of the Brienz school. His works were shown at the great international exhibitions of the nineteenth century, and signed examples of his animal sculpture appear only rarely on the market. The present boar is directly related to the exhibition model illustrated on page 57 of Swiss Carvings, thereby placing it among his most celebrated works.
Condition:
Very good overall. The walnut retains a rich original patina throughout. Carving complete and crisply preserved. Both stamps, J. HUGGLER, LAUTERBRUNNEN and Peter Buri, clear and legible. Minor wear consistent with age; no restorations noted.
Dimensions: 8” long, 7.5” tall.
Literature
Jay Arenski, Simon Daniels, and Michael Daniels, Swiss Carvings: The Art of the Black Forest, 1820–1940 (2006), p. 57, where a closely related exhibition model of a wild boar is illustrated.
A rare and exceptionally fine signed work by Johann Huggler, the pre-eminent master of the Swiss Black Forest carving tradition: a walnut wild boar striding with head raised and jaws open.
The animal is powerfully modeled. Dense, directional toolwork describes the coarse bristles of the coat, deeply undercut at the belly and legs, over musculature that is fully understood, and the head, with its open jaws, tusks, and alert eye, carries the animal's character with real force. The integrally carved rocky base is stamped J. HUGGLER LAUTERBRUNNEN on one side and the retailer Peter Buri on the other, with paired marks that record both the carver and the piece's passage through the Swiss retail trade of the period.
Johann Huggler (1834–1912) stands at the summit of the Brienz school. His works were shown at the great international exhibitions of the nineteenth century, and signed examples of his animal sculpture appear only rarely on the market. The present boar is directly related to the exhibition model illustrated on page 57 of Swiss Carvings, thereby placing it among his most celebrated works.
Condition:
Very good overall. The walnut retains a rich original patina throughout. Carving complete and crisply preserved. Both stamps, J. HUGGLER, LAUTERBRUNNEN and Peter Buri, clear and legible. Minor wear consistent with age; no restorations noted.
Dimensions: 8” long, 7.5” tall.
Literature
Jay Arenski, Simon Daniels, and Michael Daniels, Swiss Carvings: The Art of the Black Forest, 1820–1940 (2006), p. 57, where a closely related exhibition model of a wild boar is illustrated.
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