Owl

Dateca. 1905

Artist/Maker Aaron Mountz (1873-1949)

OriginAmerica, Pennsylvania, Carlisle (probably)

MediumPine

Dimensions12 7/8" X 5 1/4" X 6 15/16"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1980.701.1

DescriptionOwl carved from solid block of pine; only the years are carved separately and inserted into the head. Base is of a piece with the owl. Base is a mound, flat on the bottom and heaped up, not in a half sphere but with more mass toward the front. The owl stands at the very front of the mound and leans slightly forward, appearing on the verge of tipping over on his face. His tail feathers touch the base behind him and contribute to his support. Base is rough carved; cuts in wood below the tail feathers indicate continuation of knife strokes that shaped feathers. Except for eyes, ears, tail feathers, feet, and base the entire owl (his plumage) is carved in diamond-shapes in a simulation of feathers. His wings are tucked down along his sides. His beak turns down exaggeratedly. His eyes appear to have been blackened with paint or ink at some point but only faint traces remain. One eye is slightly raised, flat circular plane, the other is somehwat concave.
Label TextThis is one of the most distinctive carvings attributed to Aaron Mountz, whose output consisted primarily of small animals and birds in various sizes, eagles, and occassional whimsies.

As a boy, Mountz was one of the many children in the farming areas around Carlisle, Pennsylvania, who were fasinated by Wilhelm Schimmel's carvings. Schimmel taught him to carve and Mountz gradually formed his own meticulous style. Mountz was only seventeen when Schimmel died, but his skill in wood carving had already evolved, and though his output was relatively small—perhaps a few dozen as compared to Schimmel's hundreds—Mountz's work exhibits great originality. Preferring the look of natual carved wood, few of his works are gessoed and painted like Schimmel's.

Mountz lived a quiet life. A business failure in later years, he lived out his days in the Cumberland County Home, dying in the same almshouse where his mentor had died fifty-nine years before.
ProvenancePenrose and Edgette, Inc., perhaps to Helen Janssen Wetzel; Sotheby's (sale #H-3, Oct. 2-4, 1980); CWF.