Pair of 19th Century Black Forest Carved Walnut Torcheres c. 1860

For over 40 years I have worked with antiques, specialising in 17th and 18th century British furniture with a particular love of early walnut. Our family name was Webberley and in the 18th and 19th centuries many Webberley men worked as cabinet makers and coach builders. Henry Webberley-Smith built one of Queen Victoria's carriages and it is still used by the British Royal family today. When I was able to open my first shop it seemed right for it to carry that name. Pair of 19th Century Black Forest Carved Walnut Torcheres c.

A wonderful and rare pair of mid 19th century solid walnut Black Forest torcheres, each column formed as a well carved boy, carrying a bunch of grapes in one hand and wearing a smock shirt and cap. Their bodies transform into a tree trunk wrapped with carved flowing vines and tendrils and terminating in substantial and scrolled tripartite bases, each base carved with ferns and embellished with foliage to resemble a forest floor. Above their heads the boys support a well shaped table top, each frieze carved and interspersed with further leaves. Wonderful colour to the walnut which has been polished to a lighter colour to accentuate the boy's form and left darker where their bodies merge into the tree itself.

Each boy with his own character with differing well carved features. Solid, usable and highly decorative these are large pieces with an excellent colour. The top of one torchere is slightly warped from a slight and very early drying of the walnut which occurred within a few years of their making and will not move further - still sufficiently level for use. There are small professional repairs to elements on one column but nothing noticeable or structurally significant. Black Forest carved items originated in the early 19th century in the small village of Brienze in Switzerland.

Increasing tourism to the area enabled the local men to carve items, usually forms taken from folklore and nature, to sell to the tourists. The finest works were bought by nobility and Royalty and the wood carvings became hugely popular and remain rare and collectible. Under the guidance of three families which began the craft, within a decade more than 70% of the men of Brienze worked as carvers but as trade declined the carvers had all but disappeared by 1910.

Dimensions are: 14.5 inches diameter at base, 12 inches diameter at top, 30 inches high. For metric please multiply by 2.5. Our stock can be viewed at our barn showroom in East Sussex by arrangement. WEBBERLEY HAS MANY REGULAR REPEAT CUSTOMERS. Visit us at www webberley co uk. We simply ask that you let us know as soon as possible and that you return the item within 14 days. Antique furniture has had a long life and history and any marks or matters of significance are described as accurately as possible. We guarantee the quality of our items and the accuracy of our descriptions.

We sell with integrity and offer a truly personal and friendly service. We open by arrangement and would be very pleased to welcome you at our showroom barn in East Sussex. All of our couriers are Covid conscientious.

We subcontract our deliveries and make no profit on these. Most couriers send just one driver with your items but if you cannot assist with lifting, we can arrange for an extra pair of hands on the van for an additional sum.

You are also welcome to collect in person or to send your own courier. Most couriers offer free or reduced rates for second items to the same address. For larger items and deliveries going to the far West, far North, Scotland, Wales and non UK mainland, charges may be higher so please do ask for a quote. We accept cheques, bank transfers, debit cards and credit cards.

Please message us for any further information. Please save Webberley Antiques to your favourites list...

And thank you for taking the time to read to the end!