Large 1990 Spindler Wood Marquetry Panel "Les Vendanges De Kaysersberg"

Details

Description

An exceptional, museum-quality French art marquetry wood panel titled "Les Vendanges" (The Grape Harvest), handcrafted in 1990 by the globally … Read more An exceptional, museum-quality French art marquetry wood panel titled "Les Vendanges" (The Grape Harvest), handcrafted in 1990 by the globally renowned Spindler Art Marquetry Workshop in Alsace, France. Signed "Spindler" in pyrography on the front lower face, the reverse features an authentic workshop inscription identifying the setting as the historic medieval town of Kaysersberg dated 1990. This massive, panoramic exhibition-sized work is a true masterpiece of wood intarsia.

The Artistry & Subject

The sprawling narrative composition captures the romance of an autumn grape harvest in the Alsatian wine region. Local vintners are depicted loading heavy wooden barrels onto a horse-drawn cart along a winding dirt road. In the background, the iconic fortified walls, timber-framed houses, and the sweeping hillside ruins of the 13th-century Château de Kaysersberg anchor the scene.

Every element—from the expressions of the figures to the distinct texturing of the vine hills and cloudy sky—is achieved entirely without paint. Instead, artisans seamlessly fit together countless natural wood veneers, meticulously aligning wood grain and natural tonal shifts to "paint with wood".

About the Maker

Founded by Art Nouveau pioneer Charles Spindler in 1893 at Saint-Léonard Abbey, Maison Spindler is highly collectible. This 1990 piece represents the modern mastery of third-generation artisan Jean-Charles Spindler, who masterfully preserved traditional 19th-century techniques into the late 20th century. Large-scale exhibition panels of this magnitude from the late-20th-century era are incredibly scarce on the secondary market. See less