It is widely thought that Black Forest carvings and wares originated in Germany, but it was actually the Swiss who first began the carvings in the 1800′s in Brienz. The master carvers achieved worldwide recognition and critical acclaim courtesy of numerous exhibitions during the second half of the 19th Century with increasing demand for portrayals of animals such as bears, stags, eagles and dogs. More recently, the Black Forest genre has seen an increasing emergence of specialist dealers, auctions and collectors, and with increasing knowledge on the subject comes a more discerning buyer. Mediocre examples will command a modest price whereas top-class examples with fine-quality carving, detailed expressions, and little or no damage demand a significant premium and are promptly snapped-up where available. Take the example of “Bruno” below, who we consider to be a high quality example of Black Forest carving. Standing approx. 14″ tall, Bruno is a tobacco jar in excellent condition with no damage and carving of exceptional detail and quality…that’s our view, see what you think….

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Bruno - Lift up lid

So here it is, the much anticipated and long-awaited Refined blog!

The intention is to post regularly about matters relating to the business of Refined. We’ll let you know about such things as unusual items we’ve found, planned or key events in the pipeline or just passed, interesting stories or ideas we’ve got, and questions and answers we’ve unearthed. Whether it’s about antiques, vintage, furniture, art, old books, collectibles, silver, old scientific or musical instruments, fairtrade, environmental responsibility, or something else, as long as it’s about Refined, we’ll keep you posted.

Some initial dates for the diary:

28th June 2009     Logie Coldstone Fair  (we will be taking an active part in the fair)
1st Aug 2009         Aboyne Highland Games (we will be running a stall)