Black Forest Leash
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Wood
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Antique Early 1900s Swiss Black Forest Coat Racks and Stands
Bronze
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Early 2000s American Black Forest Bedroom Sets
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Antique Early 1900s Swiss Black Forest Tables
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Antique Late 19th Century Swiss Black Forest Chairs
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Early 20th Century Austrian Black Forest Wall-mounted Sculptures
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Antique Late 19th Century Chairs
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Antique Early 1900s French Late Victorian Animal Sculptures
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Antique 1890s Swiss Black Forest Coat Racks and Stands
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A Close Look at black-forest Furniture
Although its name evokes a mountainous region in Germany, antique Black Forest–style furniture originated in Switzerland. In Brienz, during the early 19th century, wood-carver Christian Fischer recognized the market for tourist souvenirs and helped make the village into a wood-carving destination. The Brienz Woodcarving School was founded in 1884 and had its own small zoo for studying the anatomy of animals, depictions of which are a defining aspect of the style, also known as Brienzerware.
Whimsical sculptures, often depicting bears and other Alpine animals like stags, owls, deer and boars, characterize the work produced in the area. Along with folk art and decorative objects, Black Forest furniture included benches held aloft by bears, umbrella stands carved with acorns and clock cases adorned with scrolling oak leaves. While most wood-carvers adhered to a similar realism in their designs and woods like linden, maple and walnut, their aesthetics varied.
The F. Peter Trauffer family was known for their hand-carved bear sculptures that saw the furry mammals playing instruments, smoking pipes and engaging in all sorts of human activities. They were sometimes detailed with glass eyes and integrated into functional pieces of furniture, including chair backs and bench legs, which generations of cabinetmakers created from the 1880s to the 1950s. Walter Mader and his son Heinrich frequently carved Saint Bernard sculptures that they incorporated into furniture.
As the Black Forest furniture style spread around the world through exhibitions at world’s fairs in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the rusticity of these pieces resonated at a time of increasing urbanization, inspiring other artisans.
Find a collection of antique Black Forest cabinets, bedroom furniture, seating and other items on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022Franz Anton Ketterer is believed to be the German clockmaker who invented the cuckoo clock, and he is also one of the founding fathers of the Black Forest clockmaking. Today there are many cuckoo clocks, but to be deemed an authentic Black Forest cuckoo is an honor that is bestowed to only those clocks where every essential part is handmade exclusively in the Black Forest region of Germany. Shop a collection of cuckoo clocks from some of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.