Aaron Mountz Folk Art Songbird on Stump Carving

Circa Late 19th Century: Cumberland County, Pennsylvania carver Aaron Mountz (1873-1949) learned his craft as a child from infamous county resident Wilhelm Schimmel and made most of his figures before the turn of the 20th century. This 8" tall songbird on stump is carved from a single piece of wood and showcases Mountz's famous crosshatching technique. The carving's surface is dry, natural, and untouched, and there are expected age cracks in the wood and possible minor losses to the end of the bird's tailfeathers. Carvings attributed to Mountz are scarce, and his work is included in major museums, including The Smithsonian, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, and The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Museum of Folk Art.