[Woodcarver] Who knows about older carvings?

[Maura Macaluso]

 Excellent Info Ivan...Yes there are many AL carvers but.still convinced it is the right Alois Lang as it originates from Michigan.  Sorry if I mistakenly thought it was the same AL as he who starred in the passion play and was on the cover of time(I did not catch the date difference---will pay more attention to silly little details in the future).  The initials did throw me and I relayed that to the owner. In researching his work and the work of other ecclesiastical carvers I also learned that it was not an uncommon practice to carve the name and date on a larger work with smaller elements being initialed.  So it is very possible that it is correct. I do think that these two cherubs are most likely works reclaimed from a larger church carving in Michigan.   

There is so much trouble involved in identifying woodcarvings as there, for the most part, are no real records kept.  It is also a reason I urge my carving students to always sign and date their carvings.  98% of the time when I receive requests to help identify a carver or carving, I will only comment on style and carving techniques, again clearly stating I am not an appraiser. I am inevitably always asked, where they can find more info....It is here that I draw a blank.

Now my larger issue is are there any woodcarving experts or appraisers in the states that anyone knows of. I know there must be some around as I have seen woodcarvings on shows such as Antique roadshow. It would be very helpful for identifying carvings in the US.  It is a shame that at this point the only real options are on the European continent. Someone must know someone who is aware of the approx. value within the carving realm.  I personally don't care to place $ values on any carving because as a carver, they are all valuable to me as I know how much time and energy someone put into them.  But as these cherub carvings were almost trashed at one time, people take care of things when they are perceived to have some tangible value. What a shame that would have been.

 


Maura Macaluso
Maura Carving in NYC
www.carvinginnyc.com
917-494-0008
Staten Island Woodcarvers Club
New York City Parks Dept. Instructor
NEWR Instuctor
National Wood Carvers Association




 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Ivan Whillock <carve at whillock.com>
To: [Woodcarver] <woodcarver at carverscompanion.com>
Sent: Tue, Feb 8, 2011 11:11 am
Subject: Re: [Woodcarver] Who knows about older carvings?


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Often tracking down the origins of a wood carving is very difficult, especially with two initials and no date. There were hundreds of carvers in Germany with the initials AL.  There were (and are) several Alois Langs.  An Alois Lang is, in fact, working today.  But there are other Langs, too, hundreds in Oberammergau alone, some with other first names starting in A.  (There is an Alois Lang hotel in Oberammergau.)
 
It seems we're speaking of two separate wood carvers by the name of Alois Lang, one of the Time cover, living in Oberammergau and another who moved to the US and carved for the American Seating Company.  They were born 20 years apart.  The "American immigrant" Alois Lang was born in 1872, died in 1952, the Oberammergau Alois Lang was born about 1892--since he was 38 at the writing of the 1930 Time article.
 
Not only were there many wood carvers with the initials "A L,"   in visiting with carvers in Oberammergau, I recall that the issue of crediting could be further complicated by the fact that the master carver very often received the credit for all the output of the carvers in his shop.  Thus the name Lang is on lots of carvings, not only because the name is a common one, but also that the Lang shop had many carvers.  Further, carving from roughouts was common early on so it would be difficult to determine the originator of the design.--whether it was an original by the carver or was from a roughout.
 
The "American" Alois Lang signed his work, "A. Lang" followed by the date.  I've seen photos of his work and was asked to appraise one (a job I turned down).    His works are numerous in the US, a major contributor to the carvings in Midwest churches.  During the building boom, from around 1900 up to through the 1950's there were a number of shops in the US that employed European carvers.  One was in LaCrosse Wisconsin near where I grew up.  Another was in Manitowoc, Wisconsin/Grand Rapids, Michigan, which employed Lang.
 
As a sidelight, reflecting on the Time article, the Oberammergau carvers were much more likely to want to talk about their roles in the Passion Play than they were about their wood carving.  It was (is) a great deal to have a part in it and the actors grow their beards and long hair, prepare well in advance.  Some years ago I visited with a carver who had come to the US from Oberammergau to work in the LaCrosse shop..  When we sat down to chat, he brought out a thick photo album.  It didn't contain pictures of his carvings but photos from his participation in the Passion Play back when he lived in Oberammergau.  He proceeded to point out the many carvers and their roles in the passion play.  "So and so" he would say, "was a good carver but he is better known for his portrayal of Judas."
 
 
Ivan Whillock Studio
122 NE 1st Avenue
Faribault, MN  55021
Visit my website at
http://www.whillock.com

  
 

 
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