Enigmas and Puzzles – October 2021

22nd October 2021
A ‘Black Forest’ eagle owl, Swiss, circa 1800.
The eagle-eyed amongst you will have spotted one or two pieces in our photos of The Chelsea Antiques Fair which look familiar from our previous newsletters; the Goanese contador, the Bidston Hill ceremonial spade, the Ottoman Empire tiles and the fabulous floral bouquet carved by James Peake.  Amongst the new items was this hypnotic eagle owl.  Why is this whole genre called ‘Black Forest’, after an area in Germany, when in fact they were carved in the Swiss Alps?  One theory is that the German carvers migrated to Switzerland to find work and stayed there – but their carvings have not shaken off their original name.

Shop Categories

Furniture
Globes
Lighting
Mirrors
Bronzes
Chinese & Japanese
Maritime
Collections
Miscellaneous
Bookcases

Latest Publications & Press

A Painting of Maharaja Duleep Singh after Winterhalter, Part of a Suite of Panels Painted in 1988 by Theirry Bruet for Mme Régine's Restaurant Le Doyen in Paris
This work in pastel is of very large scale and that is because it was once one of a number of pieces painted to fill the walls of the fashionable restaurant Le Doyen on the...
View all Publications
Record £85k raised at annual yacht club regatta
Record £85k raised at annual yacht club regatta A record £85k has been raised at this year\'s Taittinger Royal Solent Yacht Club Regatta for charities Cure ...
View all Press