TWO SCOTTISH CARVED LIMEWOOD TABLEAU SCENES FROM TAM O'SHANTER, ATTRIBUTED TO THE WORKSHOP OF THOMAS HALL TWEEDY
19TH CENTURY
Auction: Day 1: Wednesday 20 August - Lots 1 - 296
Description
carved from solid blocks in high relief, depicting Tam drunk outside the tavern preparing to ride into the night; the interior of the haunted church with witches and warlocks dancing while the Devil plays bagpipes and Tam watches at the window, with glass mounted to the front (2)
Dimensions
51cm wide, 31cm high, 8cm deep
Footnote
Note: Based in Newcastle, Thomas Hall Tweedy (1816-1892) was a noted woodcarver working in England in the mid-nineteenth century. Tweedy was primarily a businessman rather than a craftsman. It is recorded by his apprentice Ralph Hedley that he only saw him hold a tool once when he changed the figure of Miranda from a panel of the "Tempest" into a rock. However, he did have the gift of recognising skilled workmen and giving them employment, thus enhancing his considerable reputation. A set of four carved tableaux from 'Tam O'Shanter' attributed to Tweedy are in the collection of the Robert Burns Museum, Ayrshire, and are stylistically close to this pair.