Opinions appreciated.
Curious as to the type of wood (smells like cedar),age, and any other information I can get.
Stated 1890/1910, but would like to get a few other opinions.
Size is approx. 18x16" (quarter for scale) and I would say well over a inch thick.Eagle is not seperately applied.
Thanks

Reverse

2 close ups.

nice, very nice. thanks paul

That's a nice piece with the look of age to it.
Cedar is a soft wood that machines well. The resident wood workers should recognize if that's what it is.
It appears they used a couple of different stains.

--dj--Joe

In my opinion the grain looks to be black walnut? Does it sem to be a hard wood?
Rod

Looks like walnut to me too, and the backing appears to be 4 glued up boards, so they eagle has to be separate.

I think you are 100% corect Doug saying that it is 4 slabs of wood. Probably glued together then the plaque cut out.
Rod

Thank you for the input and comments.

Any advice on to tell if it is hardwood?

Surprisingly there are no signs I can tell of the eagle being seperate (I also thought it would be).
There are carving/tooling marks following some of the eagles contours and also noticing how the crack going through the sheild where these seperate boards join together also goes through birds 2 right head feathers.

If I could ask another question, is there any type of maintenance that should be applied to prevent wood from drying out or should I just leave well enough alone?

Many thanks

Dean,

You have really out done yourself this time! Nice catch, I really like it!

Dean,

That's a very fine plaque you've found, an excellent example of detailed hand-carving. Judging by the looks and patina, I'd say your time-estimate is close, roughly a hundred years old - give or take ... I'm not certain of the wood, though, it does look like walnut, but perhaps something a bit softer?

If the eagle isn't applied to the laminated base it makes the work even more impressive. From what I see of how snug the legs and claws lay, it very well may be carved from a single, laminated board. Also look especially close where the wing-tips overlap and meet the shield.

The eagle is a classic, it has a great overall shape and more than enough detail to let us know that this woodworker was a top-notch pro.

You may like to try this: thoroughly brush off dust and debris with a clean paintbrush. Using a soft old toothbrush apply a mixture of 1 part turpentine to 3 parts boiled linseed oil to the entire unit. Let set 24 hours, you can then buff the smooth surfaces with a soft cotton rag. Be careful of the rougher surfaces as the rag may tend to fray and leave unsightly cotton fibers behind.

You might also choose to use a strong, thin mounting wire if you're going to hang it on a wall. You could also stand it upright in one of those sturdy devices used for oversize porcelain plates and chargers. I'm 100% sure your new eagle will bring a touch of class anywhere you decide to display it.

Congrats on your outstanding new find and thanks for letting us have a look.

Best!

Bill

Obviously a unique piece done by a talented craftsman.
On 2nd look, it looks like the eagle and the area it rests on may indeed be 1 piece, which was then fitted into the perfectly recessed walnut backing.
The backing is clearly glued walnut boards, especially the darker 2nd from left slab, is pretty distinct from the rest. I could be wrong, I doubt it. Walnut, as with most woods, can have some fairly wild grain/streak variations. I would need it in hand to be sure, but it appears to be 2 piece.
1 a multi board recessed backing, the other the eagle and the shapes slab which is was sculpted from. The eagle could be cherry, mahogany, even wenge.

I personally wouldn't do anything real special to try to preserve it. It has already stood the test of time very well.
Much depends on environment. I'm taking it won't be exposed much, if at all, to any UV, so thats not a concern.
Dry humidity can be. I'd just blow it off with compressed air, perhaps quarterly ,,, And apply some ordinary Johnsons wood wax, maybe twice a year ,,, Or look into some beeswax for a more serious, and costly, preservation approach.

I want to thank everyone for their kind and informative responses that definately has given me good information on what to look for when accessing the item.

The backing/sheild is for the most part fairly flat except where the sheilds two upper tabs come in, then they start curving at a good rate upwards. Not sure if my photos showed this.

I really appreciated the wood's id and care for tips which would be done only to try to preserve the piece and reduce the chance of the boards sepeating even further.

Again..many thanks. Your helped me out a lot.

Intriguing piece, perhaps it would be worth the while to get more expert opinions on a dedicated wood working forum, this is one of the best
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/forum.php

I breifly looked at the site Skynard...phenomenal carvings that takes wood carving to a level I never dreamed was possible.
Thanks

Doug,

I checked it out too, some brilliant work there. Thanks for the link.

Best!

Bill

Ladies, Gents,

I really enjoyed seeing Dean's outstanding carved Prussian eagle and thought perhaps we should continue on the theme of Imperial German raptors? There have to be many more fine examples in your collections out there, so if you can contribute one or even several of your older, pre-1933 eagles, please do.

Here's something from my collection that I hope you'll find interesting, another variation of a hand carved, imperial eagle. I got it from a European fellow several years ago, who told me the piece came from the estate of an old German sailor. The 'old salt' carved two large slabs of teak while on duty in the Pacific, around 1914. Along with this there was a second plaque with an intricate carving, a very handsome silohouette profile of von Bismarck. Lacking the funds for both carvings I chose the eagle and am still happy with my decision.

Four inches thick and twenty-six across, it's a rather large, heavy affair, being solid and well-seasoned. To give you a little better idea of its size, that's a 15.5 inch, Model 173, Eickhorn Hirschfänger for a bit of scale. The eagle carving runs at a uniform 14mm depth, a good measure by any standards. Within a smooth, contoured, border lip there are some lightly graved, elegant flourishes to frame the central element. Something that can be easily overlooked, but a most unusual aspect, is the entire outside edge is further hand-finished into decorative tree-knots, crevices, openings and other ornamental features. They're not just embellishments of a natural surface, everything is cut and refined by hand and smooth as a Georgia-peach.

So, whuddya say..? got any nice sewn/embroidered, screened, etched, engraved, carved, drawn, painted, photographed or sculpted eagles you could share? Any and all of your favorite imperial birds are more than welcome here.

Thanks, best to everyone!

Bill

2/6

3/6

4/6

5/6

6/6

Beautiful eagles, guys.

Thanks for showing.

John

Nice peice Bill and great idea for a thread.I know I've seen some really outstanding works over the years, some being on your porcelain thread.
I like the way the artist payed attention to detail on the outer edges on your item.

These both have been posted on here before but I thought something to get this thread going is better than nothing..so here it goes again.

1)Norimbergia Eagle

2) Tirol Eagle.
I think the outer border originaly was much greener but has faded over time.

Dean,

Thanks for adding these two good examples, each one has a super eagle motif. The double-headed eagle plate is a beauty, just wonderful detail to the entire body. The artist didn't miss anything. The strong, circular border-designs really lock that central image in, they give the whole thing that feeling of a powerful warrior's shield. They just don't come much better than this ...

Eagle! Tirolean Eagle! ... is all I can make out of the lead-in to the saying on this fine wooden plate. Also lots of excellent detailing throughout the carving, love the way the banderole folds back on itself, great work there. The floral sprigs and Edelweiss blooms are classic too, all professionally carried out. The eagle must have initially been a nice bright, Tirolean red, a good while back. Sadly, someone must have hung this decorative piece in direct sunlight and over a long period of time. Normally the red pigments will tend to be the first to get bleached out by the sun's UV-rays. No matter, it's still a classic example of the distinctive red-raptor from the alps.

Man you've got a great eagle collection going there my friend, thanks for hooking us up with these extra nice patterns.

Best!

Bill

The first eagle is not an norembergia eagle. It is an austrian eagle. The eagle, that was used between WWI and WWII.

Dean, Wolf,

Could you gents please explain what's meant by the term "norimbergia" eagle? I'm really not sure myself? Was that one of the early double-headed German eagles, something to do with Albrecht Dürer, and is that the correct spelling of the term? I know some of the early Austrian national symbols depicted an eagle having a single head, like the second photo I'll attach. The first photo is what I mean by the Dürer-related piece and the third is another nice Austrian example. The eagle that I posted previously is the royal Kaiser's crown.

I find so many of these eagle designs appealing and it's also very interesting to know something about them. Hopefully we can add more examples and learn a bit more about them as we go...

Best!

Bill

2/3

3/3

A plate carving to add in hopes of getting some information.

Plate measures over 14" in diameter and I'd guess 2" deep.

I thought the outer edge motif appeared to be 23 swaztikas but others saw backwards seig runes.
I've seen this pattern before on a book. Any thoughts if this would be 3rd reich oriented?

Also any idea the type of wood and if the crest can be researched to find out who it belonged to?
Any good reference material that would help me get started?

Thanks for any input.

1)Plate

2)Crest

Reverse & side

What beautiful workmanship!
I hope this is not to far off-topic to be relevant but this is the Prussian Eagle that features on a Postal sword, probably end of 19th century. The detail is much better than I can capture with my camera.

Absolutely beautiful wood carved bowl. The closest I can find for the carving is the Webster family crest. This would be out of the UK which is consistent with the lions.

Looking for advice on trying to save this patriotic art that has some obvious problems. Also, was this a hand done item?

I believe it was framed at one time and would like to eventually find a nice period wood frame and put it under glass.

Maybe it's wishful thinking but is there any type of conservative matting that is self sticking that this piece can be mounted to in hopes of preventing any further tearing.

Thanks for input on the object or it's conservation.

close ups.

I'm trying to find out information on this piece.
Any idea's on how to determine if it's German?

The look is way better than the photos portray.

Eagle and base are heavy and appear to be solid.
Weight: 12.5 lbs.
Height 13.75 inches tall.

Thanks.

1)

2) Reverse

3) With flash on and showing granite type.

hi dean
dont know if i can be of much help here on your great looking eagle especially with no marks in my opinion i would say its an imperial austrian eagle those spread feathers on the bottom of the wings tells me this but i can be wrong i had purchased a simular eagle just before the max show but had to leave the eagle home as i had no room unless i wanted to damage it my eagle is sheeted bronze very light weight but from what i remember closed wings i will try n post it in may when i return north but this is my my opinion is its probly imperial german or austrian what else can it be doesnt look american hope some one else gives thier opinion god bless andy militarynut

Appreciate the input and help Andy.

I'd like to see the eagle you picked up and know if it has any markings or clues to it's origin.

I've been trying to determine if the granite used for the base is native to germany or from that region, but so far no luck.

I don't know if it means anything but I did find a similar looking 3rd reich eagle on a card but it is clutching a swaz and facing the opposite way.

Thanks, Dean

hi dean
your wellcome to bad i dont have this eagle here in my winter home florida sorry its back in pennsylvania in may i will shoot you a picture like i said my eagle is very lite weight it is made of sheeted bronze or brass colored bronze great contruction i cant find diddly squat markings at all the eagle like yours sits on a bronze ball the eagles head reminds me of lsah eagle but it isnt magnificent looking head just like yours very detailed i still feel yours and mine is either german or austrian imperial eagles ps is your eagle missing wing tips on either side or is it the pictures let me know thanks god bless have a great day andy militarynut

Andy

I don't think the wing tips are missing but I may not be understanding what you see.

Digging for more info these examples found on thirdreicheagles.blogspot

I thought the eagles alone had some similarities and the author calls the 1st example as Nurnberg Desk Eagle Swept Wing Variant 2 and list this info -

This beautiful desk eagle shows a spread out swept wing style that was described in an early post. It is beautifully crafted and weighs very heavy. The key difference to the previous one is that this desk piece has its eagle soldered on a metal base and with a matt black semi lustre finish. Exceptionally craftsmanship. The base shows an engraved dedication made in 1938. There are no maker marks on this piece, although some examples of this particular variant came from the HB foundry.

Example 2 is referred to as Nurnberg Desk Eagle Swept Wing Variant has a different finish and appears to be on the same granite base (but smaller) as opening post adler.

It's description

Not officially a Nurnberg style eagle, this is the third most commonly encountered variant of desk eagles recognized by collectors by its spread out swept wings and beautifully crafted head that looks in a different direction than it's feathered friends. There was a discussion once that said such eagles facing right indicated its affiliation with the NSDAP party, whereas those such as this below was for unofficial purposes. This piece still has its original silver wash intact with the edges now smoothed out. Mounted onto a black hard stone base, this variant has no foundry marks.

Maybe this eagle design was a carry over from imperial times to the 3rd Reich era with the addition of the wreathed swastika but that is just a guess.

hi dean
thank you for your reply i looked over pic of your eagle wing tips now they look like they are all there sorry must be seeing things and yes these type eagles might be a few years difference of being imperial and used in the third reich when adding the swaz to them to bad they are not marked and these eagles cant talk guess we are back to square one the pictures of these outher eagles if you count the wing tips one side has four the outher has five or am i mistaken if so im sorry im seeing something different no biggie sorry i cant help any further wish i could these eagles are intresting god bless andy militarynut

Andy...it does appear as the wing tips are equal on each side in my judgement.
Thanks for helping out.

Here is a new eagle to add, and a home for some WWI postcards.
It has dovetail construction and fits together really well.
Although the art isn't overly spectacular I think the flame background and theme is pretty cool.
By the lid's looks, attempts were made to try to get past the lock in it's history.

hi dean
thanks for checking some times its the pictures most of the time its me an ole coot looking for tomorrow what can i say i wont forget to post a picture or two of my possibly imperial bronze sheeted eagle sitting on a bronze ball simular like yours no markings unless they are on the bottom of the ball who knows but great eagle this wood carved eagle looks great that is a lot of work involved have a great day thanks god bless andy militarynut

Eagle has tough to read letters on the base by talons...may be DRG or DLV??
There looks to be a small rectangular area under where either tape or inscription plate was removed.
I've seen 1 other example that was unmounted and damaged.
Info on artist,purpose,or other examples welcomed.