Black Forest Bear holding a Gong, 19th Century.

A good quality late 19th Century carved wood Black Forest Bear hall stand. The Bear standing on its hind legs holding a branch to hold wal...

An enchanting 19th century marble statue of a young maiden holding a bronze flower. Signed to the base. Batch 65.  

An enchanting 19th century Italian carved Alabaster statue of a seated Arab girl holding a water jug.  

An amusing late 19th century Black Forest carved wood bear side table, originally intended as a smoking compendium. Having two small bears lying on ...

An enchanting pair of early 19th Century French patinated Bronze seated Putti, one feeding a Dove, the other holding its cage, raised chased ormolu plinths with classical motif decor...

An enchanting 19th Century Italian carved marble statue of a young child sitting on a rock holding a bunch of flowers. Indescript signature.

A large Black Forest bear in the form of stick stand on a rocky base with roaring expression, stained red tongue.

A 'Black Forest' Bear In naturalistically carved lindenwood, having glass eyes, head tilted aloft, prowls on all fours. From the Brienz Area. Brienz, in the Bernese Oberland, Sw...

19th century black forest bear stick/umbrella stand constructed in linden wood, the stand consisting of a bear standing on his back legs with a front paw extended, with a naturalisti...

Unusual 19th century antique carved Black Forest Bear with a brass brush and original glass eyes. It has a lovely original colour. Measures: Height : 24 cm Width : 9 cm Dept...

A Black Forest carved walking bear. Fine hand carved detail with original glass eyes. Linden wood. Dimensions: H 22cm W 15cm D 11.5cm Origin: Swiss Date: Circa 1890 Item...

This charming antique Black Forest inkstand dates from circa 1880. Beautifully modelled, hand carved from linden wood, with mother and baby bear on a naturalistically carved rocky outcrop. The inkwells are in the form of a pair of tree trunks with fluted glass wells with carved lids and a useful pen tray in front. Condition: In excellent condition. As an antique item, it shows signs of use commensurate with age, these minor condition issues are mentioned for accuracy and, as seen in the accompanying photographs, the inkstand displays beautifully. Dimensions in cm: Height 15 cm x Width 23 cm x Depth 14 cm Dimensions in inches: Height 6 inches x Width 9 inches x Depth 5 inches History of Black Forest Carving The idea behind the success of Brienz wood carving was quite simple. After a disastrous famine in 1816 in the Brienz area people were forced to find new areas of revenues. Driven by the need to create jobs in the Bernese Oberland, an economically underdeveloped region, the Swiss government encouraged the existing resource of timber industry to liaise with the traditional wooden craftsmanship. It took some time to improve from home requirements to sophisticated designed arts but the process was supported by the rising amount of tourists visiting the region. Christian Fischer and other founders Christian Fischer (1790-1848) started self-taught from simple turneries (carved bowls and other articles of daily use) to unsophisticated regional animals and people. Due to his success and the interest of the tourists, other carvers started also following his idea of carving the pristine naturalism. The Swiss government supported these start-ups with additional training of apprentices at special trade school. Brienz School of Wood Carving In 1884 the "School of Wood Carving, Brienz" was founded. It became an important educational institution to strengthen and develop the artistic backgrounds and exhibit an area of creativity. During the years of war in the 20th century, the demand for wooden sculptures came to rest and led to the re-orientation in areas such as toys and carvings for constructions. Beyond that the Brienz wood carving articles had to face an enormous competition from abroad. The School of Wood Carving had to get through difficult economic times but in the late 1970s wood carving enjoyed a renaissance. A lot of young people searched for elemental jobs and added a new value to school education. Today Brienz School of Wood Carving is combined with the education of turner, basket makers and coopers. The school still claims high-quality standards and follows old principles with regard to future perspectives. Wild animals At all times wild animals fascinate people. The highland around Brienz has large variety of different wild animals. Bears are among the most popular models for carvers. On the one hand bears are easy to cut and on the other hand they have a strong symbolized image. The enthusiasm for bears in art...