A finely hand-carved and polychrome painted wooden Lüsterweibchen depicting a seated patrician lady. She wears a green long-sleeved jacket over a reddish gown, and her head is adorned with an elaborate white headdress featuring red and blue stripes. Her composed, dignified expression reflects the refined craftsmanship of the late 19th century, inspired by medieval and Renaissance traditions. The figure is integrated into a gracefully curved natural stag antler forming the chandelier’s structure, complemented by wrought iron elements and four forged candle sockets. Suspended by a sturdy iron chain with ceiling hook. A beautifully detailed example of traditional German woodcarving in the Historicist style, uniting noble character and rustic artistry.

A characteristic example of a lusterweibchen is a wooden female bust with a lofty but pleasant glance. The sculpture is fastened with iron chains hanging from the ceiling, the body is fixed to a deer antler and shaped as a chandelier with wrought-iron candle holders. The first chandeliers which are designated to the so-called lusterweibchen can be assigned to the end of the 14th century. People were fascinated by the combination of art and nature and the impressive design emitted a subliminal apotropaic magic. Famous artists such as Veit Stoss, Albrecht Dürer and Tilman Riemenschneider designed marvellous unique lusterweibchen and set standards for many successors. From the second half of the 19th century until the beginning of World War I a fashionable domicile was equipped with a lusterweibchen. An industry of lusterweibchen manufacturers evolved and lusterweibchen could be purchased from catalogues. Lusterweibchen are multifaceted. Noble ladies, Dianas, mermaids and guilds are fondly used characters. But they are not majority female. There are also well-known mystical creatures (dragons, chimeras, animal and hybrid creatures) and popular lustermaennchen.

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.