When I started working with Jay, I was hit immediately by the eclectic nature of his objects. I remember it very clearly. I turned up ready to work, high-vis on, at the Battersea Decorative Art Fair. As I walked in, nearly all the exhibitors had a clear style: contemporary art, furniture, jewellery, vintage clothing. When I arrived at Jay’s stand, I was met by a life size French Lay Figure, a pair of Burmese Frog Drums, and an Ancient Greek stone stele. What a collection! Then I realised why I was called, I had to move the bloody things!
Although Jay is well-renowned for his diverse collection and knowledge, there is one group of objects that he has become the authority on: The Black Forest. Every fair I have worked on, at least three or four other dealers have sought Jay out to get his two cents on a piece from the Black Forest, much to his delight! Not to be mistaken for the German Black Forest, “Black Forest Carving” is a trade name that most people associate with detailed, naturalistic animal and forest scenes (bears, stags, eagles, hiking bears, furniture with carved supports, cuckoo-clocks). The finest examples of these objects were carved in Brienz, Switzerland, and exported across Europe and beyond in the 19th and early 20th centuries. In this newsletter I will give a very brief history of Black Forest Carvings and talk about my favourite few pieces that we have at Arenski Fine Art!
The History of Black Forest Carvings
From around 1810-1850, Brienz became a carving village. Tourists often passed through Brienz and it became fashionable and customary for them to pick up the local carvings on their way through. And so, over time, wood carving became quite lucrative for the artists who were able to master it. Christian Fischer was one of the original masters in 1816, and to meet growing demand, began teaching others.
Brienz woodcarving first stepped onto the world stage at the London Exposition in 1851, where it gained widespread international attention. The “Brienz Woodcarving School” was later founded in 1884, and by 1928 it had become the official training centre for the canton of Bern. Today, known simply as the “School of Woodcarving,” it remains the only institution in Switzerland where young craftspeople can formally study the art of woodcarving.
In 2009, the school broadened its scope, adding vocational programs for aspiring turners, basket makers, coopers, and white-wood coopers. Modern professional carvers in Brienz typically operate as independent artisans, taking on intricate commissions while also producing tourist pieces—a tradition that has endured for more than two centuries!
As the continuity of skills, knowledge, and historic craftsmanship came under pressure from generational change, the “Association for the Collection and Exhibition of Brienz Woodcarvings” was created in 1990. This initiative ultimately led to the founding of the “Swiss Woodcarving Museum” in 2009, dedicated to safeguarding and showcasing the region’s rich carving heritage.
It cannot be understated how detailed and beautiful true Brienz Black Forest Carvings are. Believe it or not, many people have tried and failed to replicate the style. I’ll never forget how I came to learn this. Jay and I were on a buying trip in Montpellier this year. The French fairs are completely different to what I had witnessed in England. In London, it is all rather proper. The stands are set up days in advance and small groups of people move quietly with grace and a typical English politeness. In France, however, buyers from all over queued up outside licking their lips, and when those doors opened, I felt like Simba as he held onto a branch for dear life in the stampede scene from ‘The Lion King’. In classic French fashion, as everyone was piling in at the opening bell, trucks of antiques were still being unloaded onto the floor, and this went on about an hour or two into the day’s opening. Must be all those cigarette and espresso breaks! As we were wandering around, a large Black Forest Bear caught my eye. Eager to prove that I’d been listening to him all this time, I exploded with “JAY! LOOK! A Black Forest Bear!”. Jay did not look amused. “Now Tom, my boy, why can that NOT be a Black Forest bear?”. Damn. I fell at the first hurdle. I looked at it, and sheepishly asked: ‘Because it’s not Lindenwood?” It turned out not to be Lindenwood, but that wasn’t the answer Jay was looking for. “LOOK AT HIS FEET!” Jay exclaimed with outstretched arms. I took a closer inspection. Now I saw. The feet of this large wooden carved bear that might appear beautiful to many, in fact were jagged and sharp. More than that, the texture of the bear’s fur was rough and undetailed, and the face was inexpressive. Next to an authentic Black Forest carved bear, this piece would have been dwarfed in style and artistic excellence. And so, I learned my lesson!
TOM’S TOP 5
5. An Unusual Swiss Carved Black Forest Smoking Table
Circa 1900 beautifully executed depicting a bear smoking a pipe supporting a naturalistically carved table 51 x 25 x 26 cm For comparison see page 122-125 The Art of the Black Forest by Jay Arenski and Simon Daniels.
I love this piece for so many reasons- mainly because of how the artist managed to capture how cute the bear is. It really reminds me of how bears were portrayed in one my all time favourite movies, Brother Bear! The way the artist has used anthropomorphism here is both comical and calming. When I see this bear, I immediately want to sit next to them and simply, relax! Doing this became very popular in the late 19th Century and I can see why. The pipe smoking together with the bear’s languid sitting stance gives the bear genuine character and makes me feel like I have my own little pet bear. The carving is also done beautifully. As I mentioned earlier, if you look at the feet, you can see how detailed the artist was at capturing the round and plump nature of the bear’s paws and feet. It’ll be a sad day when this one leaves us!
4. A Swiss carved Black Forest Bear Bench. Two cubs holding a plank with centre bear cub framed by boughs and branches. Circa 1920
This bench comes in at number 4 and is absolutely beautiful. The carving is phenomenal and takes me straight into the mountains. The faces of the two carrier bears are warm and inviting and the varying shades on their faces and coats add to both their realism and dynamism in the light. A customer of ours bought a similar bench and confided that he felt bad that he was using such a historic and special bench simply ‘as a boot rack bench’ in his country house. Nonsense! That’s exactly what it would have been used for. It always brings me a lot of joy when, despite a piece of art’s “value”, it is simply used for its purpose. And what a beautiful family boot rack bench it is!
3. A Swiss Carved Black Forest Linden Wood Bear Armchair modelled as a seated bear with outstretched paws circa 1900.
For a similar example see Jay Arenski and Simon Daniels The Art of the Black Forest p 134 illustrated in Peter F. Trauffer,Luzern Wood Carving Catalogue ,1774. Peter Trauffer had retail premises in Luzern and St Moritz
This arm chair is literally a bear hug. The seat is rounded, comfortable and wonderfully contrasts the bear’s colour. Again, the detail in the paws is second to none. And that neck! The way the artist captures the fur around the neck is incredibly life like. And importantly for us here at Arenski Fine Art, the face is modestly crafted to show the bear’s beauty and kind soul. This bear won’t eat you, it simply wants a hug.
2. A Rare Swiss Carved Black Forest life size standing bear guard holding a halberd, circa 1870
With brass label inscribed Sculptures Binder Lucerne Zematt St Moritz Fabrique Brienz 238cm High
See Jay Arenski and Son Daniels The Art of the black Forest p76. This carving bears was probably made to specific order by Rudolf Linder who specialised in carving elaborate bear sculpture.
This piece is simply incredible. A photo truly doesn’t do it justice. The size- 238cm high. That’s 7ft 9 inches. There’s something regal about this sculpture. The bear stands atop a rock which is also on a plinth. The extra height gives the bear real presence. They’re obviously protecting something important. The spear perfectly balances and is designed with precision. I know because it took me about 30 minutes to get each blade in the correct hole in the mallet on the top! It goes without saying now, but the colour shifts in this particular bear’s fur is wonderful; it adds a depth and gravity to the scene. Just look at the detail on the standing legs, powerful and muscular.
1. Two Swiss Lifesized walking Bears
My personal favourite is a bit cheeky! These two life sized walking bears and technically different pieces. However, as I was walking into our holding area, I saw them exactly as this picture was taken on my phone and stopped. They were walking side by side, and it just felt real. The artist has done such a realistic carving that they look alive. Their mouths are slightly open and their brows are furrowed. In particular, the bear on the right is tilting their head slightly which adds such realism to their stance. This sight was magical to me. And so it’s my number 1 this month, despite not technically being once piece!
As you can probably tell, I love the bears! However, Black Forest carvings cover a number of animals and objects. With that being said, here are some pictures of some honourable mentions, and a picture of the best carving of Jay himself that I’ve ever seen! How lifelike!
