JoAnn asks:

I have two pieces of Black Forest I am sending you some pictures of the first piece. It is I believe 1950 sideboard all hand carved the carvings on top of the side board are of a Bridge in a town called Heidelberg Germany their are other scenes of a town called Freiburg Germany.

My parents were stationed in Germany between 1967 and 1970  they bought several pieces of Black Forest  while they were there. The side board has two doors one to the left one to the right they both open up and have built in selves the carving of the young girl, she is wearing a hat which is called a Bollenhut was only permitted to be worn by unmarried girls.

The center part has glass selves with a mirror back and a glass cover that goes over the top. The carvings of the young man and girl depict persons wearing the typicl clothes for the Black Forest region. I have had these pieces for over 20 years now and within the last 3 months have finally found alot of information.

You can goggle Bridges in Germany and The one in Heidelberg will come up it was built by Karl Theodor started in 1742-1799 the two towers with the door way is clearly seen in the pictures of the bridge on the Internet even the detail with the lines in the towers.You can feel each cut in the bricks on the bridge.

Thank You for your time   JoAnn   

AW says: Like many things from the Black Forest, it has interesting folklore attached to it. Obviously, this was meant to decorate a room as much as it was meant for utility. Woodcarving was the predominent trade in the Black Forest, which is well known for it’s Cuckoo clocks, and there were thousands of carvers in the area.

Your sideboard was most likely an item made for export as somewhat of a souvenir piece, at least as much as a sideboard can be a souvenir item.

It’s a bold and unusual piece, which means it’s not a fast selling item in the market, but when you find someone who appreciates it, they should be willing to pay fair for it.

Circa 1950s:

Retail value: $350-$400

Wholesale: $175

Quick sale $125

Keywords = Black forest, sideboard, server, buffet