I wasn’t going to write anything today but I opened a book that I have featuring works from the American Folk Art Museum, one that I browse on a regular basis. The page I turned to is near the middle of the book, a page that I always seem to turn to when I open the book, showing a carved piece, Holy Family, that I just love. It is attributed to the 19th century woodcarver John Philip Yaeger, a German born craftsman who worked in the Baltimore area. I’m not religious in any traditional sense of the word but I thought this would be a fitting image to show today, which is Ash Wednesday on the Christian calendar.
There’s something irresistibleabout this carving, beyond the subject matter, that I just can’t put my finger on. The color of its patina is beautifully golden and warm. The lines are smooth and rhythmic. There’s a wonderful balance of fineness and roughness in the way the pieces of wood that make up the sculpture are put together. It has a modern feel yet seems old– a timeless quality. Everything about it has that sense of rightness that I have tried to describe here without much success in the past.
I also am intrigued but he damage on the left shoulder of the father. I don’t know if this is just a property of the wood after these many years but it looks like it may have been near a cat who saw this as a perfect scratching post. But even that doesn’t lessen the power of the piece. It fits right into the wholeness of it. Imperfectly perfect.
Redtree Times 
Love your posts. Are you familiar with Tom Thompson? His brush work made me think of your work. http://www.gallery.ca/en/see/collections/artwork.php?mkey=2198 Y. Presley
No, I don’t know his work but even after a quick search I can see how appealing his work is. Thanks for letting me know about him. I look forward to doing some more research on his work and his short life.
I do believe that’s a flaw in the wood, on the shoulder. What’s remarkable is how much this piece looks like many of the African carvings I brought back from Liberia. The facial features are different, of course, but the clean, stylized lines are so much the same. This is an extraordinarily attractive and strong piece – thanks for sharing it.
I thought it was a flaw as well but I wondered why he would use that piece when he had assembled the piece from various blocks of wood. I would like to see it in person to find out.
On Sat, Feb 16, 2013 at 3:53 PM, Redtree Times
Everyone seems to love the carving of the Holy Family attributed to John Philip Yeager. (me too). One of his children, Henriette Mary Yeager married a man named Forsyth and they had 2 boys, Charles and Harry. Henriette died when Harry was only 3 yrs old and Charles a bit older.
Yeager also carved cigar store Indian figures which are said to be in the Smithsonian, though not on display. I used to know more about the family, but at 77, my memory is a little wonky and I have passed on what I did know to others in the family.