2021
Turned oak wood and butterfly keys
69 x 59 x 68 cm /26,75 x 23,25 x 26,75 in
Unique piece
Signed and dated by the artist
Houghton Oak Project
From the hundreds of years a tree has grown, to the process of preparing the wood and then turning the vessels, time takes on new meaning in the work of sculptor and master wood turner, Ernst Gamperl. For over 20-years, Gamperl has applied a rigorous process of repetition and detail that has given him a deep intuition and appreciation of wood and his craft. “There is a respect for the material and its history”, he notes, about this unique experience of giving new life to this precious material.
This sense of history came full circle in a the exhibition that was on view at Houghton Hall, an historic Palladian style property originally built in 1721 for Britain’s first Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole, in Norfolk, UK. Titled, “Oak Vessels,” Gamperl used wood from a 310- year old felled oak tree that was planted on the property the same year of its construction, and transformed it into 21 unique objects in various sizes and shapes.
