Schimmel-Style Carvings
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Wilhelm
Schimmel was an itinerant carver from Germany. His main stomping
grounds were in the Carlisle, PA area where he died in 1890. Today, his
carvings are in many of the major art museums of America and his
originals demand very high prices at public auctions. Bastian's
interpretations of these works are offered for sale below. |
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all pictures below may be clicked on for a larger view |
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Wilhelm Schimmel was most famous for his "fogels" (birds & eagles). On occasion, he made special pieces like this "tyger". What made the original carving by Schimmel particularly distinct from the rest of his works is that it is signed by the artist himself with his forefinger and thumb prints. His prints are immortalized in green paint on each side of the body from the base. This particular tyger is modeled after an original Schimmel carving that I had the pleasure of examining several years ago. Inspired by the original, each tyger I create comes complete with my unique signature of fingerprints. 'As seen in Wood Carving Illustrated' |
| Tyger is approximately eight inches long and four & one-half inches high. The piece is slightly aged, polychromed finish has a rich warm feel. | |
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Schimmel carved chickens in all sizes and shapes, and so do I! With chickens roaming all the farms and homes Schimmel frequented, it’s no wonder a popular item for him to barter for a nights stay was the carved chicken. Perhaps if he whittled one for each child and a 'BIG' one for the parents, he would be rewarded with the real thing for dinner! |
| These chickens are approximately five inches high by four inches wide. | |
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Christie’s recently (1995) auctioned a carved and painted grinning tiger like this from the collection of the late Richard Flanders Smith and his wife Joan. It was sold locally in Lancaster, PA. and the winning bidder paid $48,000. I had the pleasure of knowing the Smith's and visiting their restored Pa German farm/compound in Milbach on many occasions. One day I was able to borrow the thumbprint tyger and show it to the Smiths. Being avid collectors they were thrilled to see the signed original and in return allowed me to see their own coveted "Tiger". Today we offer our own variation of these tigers for sale. They are similar in size and shape to the original and have a beautiful hand rubbed finish. |
| Our tiger is approximately twelve inches long, (depending on tail length) and six inches high. Painted in the style and colours of the original. | |
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Like many of his works, Schimmel lions are also quite rare. The renowned Museum of Fine Arts in Boston has one in their collection. Another was sold by Sotheby’s at auction in 1980 in Berks County from the estate of the late Helen Janssen Wetzel. The Wetzel collection had several Schimmel pieces but the show stopper on auction day was the lion. At the time it was the highest price ever paid ($30,000) for a Schimmel. Locally, the sale that day is legendary and I still have collectors and Wetzel family members ask me if I was there, or remember the day. In my own collection I have a catalog from the auction and a charming 'fogel' to remember what once was. |
| This lion is seven and one-half inches long, five and one-half inches high, the yellow body has traces of brown blended in, for a naturalistic look & feel. | |
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