A wooden carved statue of a staghound. It is carved as half relief out of one piece of nutwood. Made in Brienz, Switzerland circa 1920.

The tradition of wood carving in Brienz dates back to mid of the 19th century.  People in the region were looking for new employment opportunities. They used their skills from traditional crafts, carving everyday objects and sculptures, and  created a new business. Many woodcarvers where trained in the 'School of Wood Carving, Brienz' which was established in 1884. Around 1900 the woodcarving industry counted ca. 2000 woodcarvers. Brienz woodcarvings were presented on several worlds fairs with great success. With the Gran Tour Tourism wealthy people from all over the word visited the area and took their woodcarving souvenirs home. Today some companies, like 'Huggler Holzbildhauerei' still exist and build traditional sculptures.

artfour is an owner-managed trading company that sells Black Forest wood carvings, antler furniture and an impressive variety of unique decorative items. Our antiques are on display in a century-old barn in southern Germany, which we renovated ourselves. Antiques have been our passion since the 1980s. We ship worldwide, perfectly packaged and with a money back guarantee. This allows us to be your preferred partner for the Black Forest and ancient art.