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He\'s been standing there looking suspiciously at the ceiling for quite some time.
A wonderfully characterful vintage hand-carved wooden Alpine marmot / groundhog sculpture, believed to be of Swiss Alpine / Brienz origin, likely dating from around the mid-20th century.
Approximately 22–23 cm tall.
The marmot is carved in the classic upright \"lookout\" pose, with a long raised head, small rounded ears, inset reddish eyes and hundreds of individually cut lines creating the textured fur.
What makes this piece particularly appealing is that it hasn\'t been over-refinished. The dark aged surface contrasts beautifully with areas of exposed natural timber, giving it a genuinely old folk-art appearance rather than the look of a modern decorative reproduction.
The underside has been hollowed by the carver, with remnants of an old paper label still visible inside. Unfortunately the label is too incomplete to identify a maker.
Details
Hand-carved wooden animal sculpture
Alpine marmot / groundhog
Attributed Swiss / Brienz folk-art tradition
Mid-20th century vintage piece
Approximately 22–23 cm high
Detailed individually carved fur
Inset reddish eyes
Hollowed underside
Remnants of an old paper label
Beautiful aged dark patina
Unusual and highly decorative piece
Brienz, in the Swiss Alps, has a long-established tradition of producing hand-carved wildlife and animal sculptures, and the marmot is a classic Alpine subject.
Condition
Genuine vintage condition with wear consistent with age.
There are various marks, small chips/losses, surface wear and small old holes visible in the timber. The remains of the original paper label underneath are incomplete. I have deliberately left the carving exactly as found rather than attempting to clean, stain or restore it.
Please study all photographs carefully as they form part of the description.
It has enormously more personality than something mass-produced yesterday — a great little piece of European folk art for a shelf, study, cabin, eclectic interior or collection of unusual animal carvings.
A very cool old Alpine character who\'s clearly seen some things.
Carefully packed for postage.
Pickup also welcome.
