Peter ansbendel
A Swiss Woodcarver in Texas
SfM
Peter ansbendel
A Swiss Woodcarver in Texas An exhibit prepared by
The University of Texas at San Antonio
Institute of Texan Cultures! 1977-1978
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Q71
©I977 The University of Texas at
San Antonio
Institute of Texan Cultures
Jack R. Maguire, Executive Director
First Edition
This publication was made possible in part
by grants from Houston Endowment and
from the Texas Commission on the Arts
and Humanities and the National En­dowment
for the Arts.
..
Cover illustration courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. John H. Chiles, Jr.
Peter Mansbendel:
His Wark and His Friends
When Peter Mansbendel stepped off
the train at Austin, Texas, in 19II he
was known only as the fiance of
Clotilde Shipe, the musically gifted
daughter of a local real estate de­veloper.
With his Latinate features,
penetrating brown eyes, debonair
dress and jaunty bearing, he com­manded
attention wherever he went.
Few knew, or cared, that he was a
woodcarver extraordinaire.
When he died twenty-nine years
later hundreds of friends gathered to
hear former Governor Dan Moody de­liver
an eloquent and moving eulogy.
They came to pay last respects to a
gallant friend, a genial host, a doting
father, a well-known fixture in the
town's muscial and theatrical life and
a dedicated artisan. Few realized, or
cared, that he had given to Texas an
artistic legacy that has no parallel in
its cultural history.
Mansbendel spent his most produc­tive
years struggling to nurture an an­cient
art in stubborn Texas soil. Man
has used wood for creative expression
since the dawn of his age on earth. In
biblical times Solomon built a tem­ple.
"And he carved all the walls of
the house round about with carved
figures of cherubims and palm trees
and open flowers within and with­out."
During the Renaissance wood­carving
attained exceptional heights
as giants like Michelangelo and
Donatello executed pieces for
churches and palaces in Italy. At­titudes
in Germany strongly favored
this art form. There, Albrecht Durer
led the field.
The Germans exported their
knowledge to England, and it was an
Englishman of Dutch extraction,
Grinling Gibbons (1648-1721), who
became the greatest of all wood­carvers.
He served the courts of
Charles II and George I and worked
also for Sir Christopher Wren, the re­nowned
English architect. Gibbons
carved the foliage and festoons in the
choir loft of St. Paul's Cathedral and
other ornamentation at Hampton
Court, all of which was observed by
Peter Mansbendel shortly after the
turn of the twentieth century. Gib­bons's
finest production was a ceiling
at Petworth, a feat that Mansbendel
duplicated in the Shephard King
home at Dallas in 1936. Gibbons was
marvelously adept in creating fruit,
flowers and foliage with incredible
delicacy, yet with great vitality.
These were qualities that the Swiss
carver would emulate in his own
work.
What separated Peter Mansbendel's
output from that of competitors was
both its quality and its astonishing
range. During the 1920S and '30S lead­ing
architects would summon him to
put the finishing touches on their
most important projects. His fireplace
mantels were especially popular. In .
addition to architectural detail work
he also created an endless array of
furniture and household decorative
items, even a deerhead mounted on a
carved base. At times he used his Old
World training to interpret themes of
his adopted land: historic persons,
places and events, as well as the flora
and fauna of Texas and the South­west.
Invariably his preces are noted
for their fidelity, strength and spirit.
Even his most delicate things retain
an unmistakable virility. He was al­ways
the successful seeker of the
quick, spontaneous effect, always
careful to avoid chiseling the life out
of an object. The conception was per­fected
in his mind's eye before the
wood was touched.
His first step was to prepare a draw­ing.
If it were a decorative item being
done on commission, Mansbendel
would produce a clay model, or plas­ter
if it were a portrait. The customer
was always given a fair chance to re­ject
the design before work had prog­ressed
too far. Standing at his work­bench
he carefully laid out the pattern
on the wood. With a V tool he would
outline the shape to be carved and set
it in with stop cuts around the edge.
Then, working across the grain and
toward the stop cuts with a large
gouge, he would strip away the back­ground.
So swift and sure were his
strokes that visitors would swear that
Mansbendel, who sang as he whacked
away, was simply butchering wood to
make shavings. They were open­mouthed
as the desired object materi­alized
before their eyes. After model­ing,
or final shaping, the work was
completed. This was done with
single, uninterrupted cuts to leave
clean surfaces that would unify the
detail. Except for portrait carvings,
surfaces were never sanded; crisp tool
marks were left for texture and effect.
Among the hardwoods Mansben­del's
favorites were walnut, oak and
mahogany, all fairly open-grained
woods that connote ruggedness.
Sometimes he used maple, gum or
cherry. Ebony he positively disliked.
His favored softwood was pine. He
had frie14ds at both the Becker and
Calcasieu lumber companies who re­served
for him the choicest pieces
from each new shipment. His tools
were the very finest handmade vari­ety
from the foundries at Sheffield,
England. He distinguished each by the
shape and feel of its handle.
Pine, of course, could be carved
with exertion no stronger than a blow
from his right palm. Hardwoods, on
the other hand, often required the use
of greater force which he provided
with a carpenter's steel hammer or a
domestic potato masher in lieu of a
mallet. He was not timid in the use of
either. His one-time pupil, Alfred
Wupperman, remembers that Mans­bendel
demanded what he called, in
German, a saftigen schnitt, or meaty
cut. His goal was to achieve a finished
carving with the fewest possible
strokes.
In reality Peter Mansbendel was a
man out of his time and place. For
although his reputation came to ex­ceed
regional bounds, it was nonethe­less
true that the American market
for his kind of artistry was in decline
during his lifetime. Texas itself had
only recently emerged from its fron­tier
past and the children of its
pioneers had just begun to develop
serious interest in the fine arts. The
depression also had a dampening
effect. Mansbendel never admitted
any of this publicly, always stoutly
maintaining that he could have found
no greater appreciation of his work
anywhere than in Texas.
But in his heart he knew he was
wrong. His struggle for artistic ac­ceptance
was unfulfilled. Soon after
his return from a visit to Switzerland
in 1938, and already in the throes of
his final illness, he unwound to his
devoted friend and most gifted ap­prentice,
V. E. "Gene" Heath, now re­tired
and living at New Braunfels. He
had belatedly realized, he told Heath,
that he could have been happy, pro­ductive
and accepted had he never left
Switzerland. Mansbendel seems to
have survived personally and as an
artist because he knew who he was
and because his wife had money.
Who, then, was Peter Mansbendel?
He was born at Basle on August 12,
1883 . His father was a stern busi­nessman
who bestowed on his chil­dren
little more than three meals a
day and a grammar school education.
Rather than follow in his father's
footsteps, young Peter aspired to be­come
a woodcarver. At ten he was
apprenticed to a local master named
Ulrich Huber in whose shop he re­mained
for the next six years. There
was a period of study at the Industrial
Arts School and then a stint of com­pulsory
service in the Swiss artillery.
Upon his discharge from the army
Mansbendel yielded to wanderlust
and set out for London with no par­ticular
reason save that English had
been his favorite subject in school and
he wanted to study the work of Grin­ling
Gibbons. From London he jour­neyed
to Paris where he completed
his formal education at the Coquier­Roland
School of Art. He immigrated
to America in 1907. He worked first
in Boston and then in New York
where he had charge of the wood­carving
department of 1. Marcotte &
Company, an interior decorating firm.
During this time he also taught night
classes in clay modeling at the Cooper
Union for the Advancement of Sci­ence
and Art.
This life might have continued had
he not met Miss Clotilde Shipe of
Austin, Texas, at a tea in his studio.
He followed her to Austin and mar­ried
her in 191 I. Clotilde's father was
M. M. Shipe, the owner and developer
of the Hyde Park section of town. At
first the bride and groom lived in her
parent's old home. A year later the
couple returned to New York, but de­cided
late in 1915 to settle perma­nently
in Austin.
Mansbendel moved his studio from
Hyde Park in 1916. In a corner of the
former Swedish consulate at 109 West
Ninth Street, where Swante Palm
once housed his library, Mansbendel
opened his business with an impres­sive
assortment of items calculated to
convince any who doubted his skill.
He visited leading architectural firms
in Austin, Dallas, Houston, San An­tonio
and elsewhere, exhibiting in
each office pictures and samples of his
work. Orders increased, but profit
margins were small.
When commissions were not forth­coming,"
Mansbendel continued put­ting
in a ten-hour work day on carv­ings
for himself. At the depth of the
depression he occupied spare time
knocking out egg-and-dart molding
for local lumberyards. There were
machines, of course, to do such work,
but not with the beauty and individu­ality
that Mansbendel could give it.
Carl Widen, veteran Austin banker,
recounts the time that the wood­carver
submitted a $2,000 bid for a
contract on The University of Texas
campus. A competitor underbid him
at $1,200, but the committee in
charge hesitated before making the
award. They summoned Mansbendel
for a further conference. Mansbendel
would have none of it. "Gentlemen,
my competitor is a very honest man.
He knows his work isn't worth any
more." It is said that Mansbendel
eventually got the contract.
Dewey Bradford, well-known art
dealer in Austin, remembers that a
doctor's wife became incensed at the
price Mansbendel was about to charge
for a mirror frame he had carved.
"This frame is four pieces of wood,"
she sputtered. "Yesterday I bought a
whole cord for $3 .00."
"My dear lady," Mansbendel con­soled.
"1 went to your husband only
last week to have a lash removed from
my eye. It was most painful and inter­fered
greatly with my work. Your
husband extracted it in a matter of
seconds. He charge me four times as
much and I furnished the lash!" She
paid and left.
Perhaps Mansbendel's greatest
labor of love was the Swiss chalet­style
home he built for his family at
3824 Avenue F. Today it is occupied
by the family of his grandson. W. T.
Williams, III. The carver's humor is
evident in the stairway leading from
the living room to the second floor.
Each newel post is mounted with a
fanciful figure: a chubby infant who
looks up from the first newel to a
snail on the second and a frog on the
third. An owl looks down on all from
the top of the stairs.
Above the tiling in the bathroom
and carved into wood panels are fish,
lobsters, octopi and crabs, each tinted
in natural colors and pictured swim­ming
through seaweed. Mansbendel
was rather proud of this achievement.
"It's a real economic success," he
ventured. "A bucket of sand in the
tub makes you feel quite bathing
beachy [and] you don't spend any
money for a bathing suit or for train
fare getting here."
It was in this home, indelibly
stamped with his outsized personal­ity,
that Peter Mansbendel held forth
most impressively. With his dark
good looks, eyes that darted beneath
imperious brows and immense per­sonal
charm, he could have been one
of the three musketeers in the opin­ion
of Austin architect Delmar Groos.
But at five feet six he wasn't tall
enough for the part, according to Mar­tin
Casey now of San Antonio, "al­though
his powerful shoulders would
have made him a formidable adver­sary."
His vigorous movements de­noted
great physical and mental
energy.
Mansbendel was a jovial, outgoing
man who usually had a ribald story or
two to tell. Mrs. Lena Fischer,
eighty-eight-year-old matriarch of the
Dieter family in Austin, retains
sparkling eyes and countenance. She
characterizes Mansbendel's humor in
two words. "Very wicked." She loved
it. And him. When asked his occupa­tion
he usually responded, "I'm a
chisel er. "
He regaled his audiences with his
talent for mimicry. A favorite target
was his cherished friend Wilhelm
Kutalek who worked as a joiner in
Mansbendel's studio until entering
business for himself as a building con­tractor.
Mansbendel was particularly
adept in portraying Kutalek's anguish
over having to pay taxes. His theatri­cal
flair lead to involvement with the
Austin Community Players, where he
served not only as art director, but at
times as a member of the cast, espe­cially
in musicals.
Singing was a great love of his life.
He was a devoted member of the
Siingerrunde, the German choral
union that continues to brighten Aus­tin's
cultural life. His rich baritone
was heard also in the choir of St.
David's Episcopal Church. And then
there were the Saturday night soirees
in Mansbendel's home. Here gathered
his good friends: Dewey Bradford,
owner of a paint store; Phil and Willie
Dieter from the Calcasieu Lumber
Company; Godfrey Flury, then in the
outdoor advertising business; Anton
Stasswender, who owned a monu­ment
works; Arthur Fehr, a young ar­chitect;
Paul Wakefield, a public rela­tions
consultant; together with other
friends from the Siingerrunde, the
theatrical group, and the lumber
companies.
Mansbendel was a gracious and in­gratiating
host. Prohibition gave him
the opportunity to perfect his skill as
brewmaster. His son-in-law, W. T.
Williams, Jr., recalls that he had a
wonderful collection of bottles for
which he found repeated use. Except
for eighty that exploded in joyous,
midnight celebration in an upstairs
closet. He made a tangy red wine and,
with a little more ingenuity, produced
a drinkable champagne from honey.
Mrs. Mansbendel remained in the
background on these occasions. She
was a pleasant woman, but quite
reticent-much the opposite of her
husband.
Mansbendel could be irascible with
friends, but it is a mark of his warm
humanity that they invariably dis­missed
this as "artistic tempera­ment"
and forgave him without apol­ogy.
He adored children-his own and
everyone else's-and the feeling was
reciprocated. "He understood us," re­calls
librarian Yvonne Greear, "but he
didn't tolerate nonsense." She also
remembers that for years he kept
milk goats. From time to time he
would make ice cream which, he
claimed, still had the ba-a in it. In the
summertime Mansbendel was a
member of the Rock Sitters Club at
Barton Springs. Frequently he relaxed
at tennis with his next doot,neighbor,
Mrs. David Moffatt, now in her
eighties. What kind of tennis player
was he? "He was a much better
woodcarver." In her widowhood Mrs.
Moffatt established a home bakery. It
was from her illustrious friend that
she learned the art of icing cakes.
Peter Mansbendel died of cancer on
July 20, 1940. Today few of his gener­ation
remain alive. Those who still
remember him were friends of his
children, Valerie and young Peter. His
extant carvings have mostly passed
into the hands of second and third
generations. In his lifetime he exerted
considerable influence on all of the
arts in his hometown of Austin. It is
unsurprising that his surviving work
is concentrated there.
Additional examples rest in fash­ionable
homes at Dallas and Houston.
These things are seen by relatively
few, but thousands see the magnif­icent
doors of the Spanish Governor's
Palace and of Mission San Jose at San
Antonio, never realizing that they are
the work of Peter Mansbend.el. Sev­eral
generations of students at The
University of Texas in Austin have
lounged in the spacious lobby of the
Texas Union building under his por­trait
plaques depicting former presi­dents
of the university. Other Mans­bendel
carvings are to be found in less
conspicuous places on campus. Of
this much one may be certain: his
artistry will excite admiration and
provide pleasure as long as human be­ings
respond to the harmony created
when imagination, originality and
heart are joined in perfect register.
Al Lowman
7 June 1977
Peter Mansbendel Courtesy of Mrs. Arthur Fehr
The Catalogue One of the remarkable things
about wood is its self expres­sion.
Whether as the handle of
a tool, as a dead stump, or
alive in a forest where every
branch is a record of the winds
that blew, it is always telling
something about itself. This is
why man has an affinity with
wood not only as a mere mate­rial,
but also as a kindred spirit
to live with and to know.
Eric Sloane
A Reverence for Wood
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Archi tectural Detail Entrance Doors, Spanish
Governor's Palace
1930, Cypress, H. 96" w. 36"
(each door)
Owned by the City of San Antonio
The Spanish Governor's Palace was
restored in the early 1930S under the
supervision of architect Harvey P.
Smith, Sr., who in turn commissioned
Peter Mansbendel to recreate the
massive doors.
Entrance Doors,
Mission San Jose
1936, Black Walnut, H. 180/l, W. I08/1
(each door)
Owned by the Texas Parks and
Wildlife Department
Some half dozen years after his pleas­ant
association with architect Harvey
Smith on the Governor's Palace reno­vation,
Mansbendel again joined
Smith, this time to restore Mission
San Jose. The woodcarver was asked
to reproduce the entrance doors from
an old photograph, to design another
door between the baptistry and main
chapel, and to provide additional carv­ings
at the altar rail entrance.
Mansbendel did his work in a
makeshift setting at Austin's Cal­casieu
Lumber Company. His
thoughts were sharply focused on the
mission eighty miles away, "keeping
well in mind the scale and beautiful
character of the building." He wore
out several chisels as he cut through
the two and one-half inch walnut
used for the massive front doors. He
tried "to reproduce ... the Spanish
baroque style [and] give them the
power and beauty not only of the
building, but also of the faith for
which it stands."
The carver explained that the
scrolls and leaves were in the Moorish
tradition which, because of Moham­medan
influence, refrains from de­picting
living creatures in its sculp­ture.
The entire assignment took
Mansbendel approximately six weeks
to complete.
Entrance Doors
1939, Cypress, H. 87", W. 32"
Owned by Mr. and Mrs. F. E. Schulze,
McAllen
After an adventure-filled life as a
soldier-of-fortune, pioneer aviator,
writer-photographer, explorer and ar­cheologist,
Jason Matthews decided
in the late 1930S to build a home at
the crossroads of the Western Hemi­sphere.
The airlanes which he utilized
in transacting his far flung business
interests seemed to converge over the
Rio Grande valley of Texas.
The mansion, designed by Mat­thews,
was constructed of adobe brick
made to his own formula. Into this
structure were fitted the treasures of a
lifetime's gathering, secured by mas­sive
double doors, the work of Peter
Mansbendel. These doors were pat­terned
roughly after those that the
carver had recreated several years ear­lier
for the Spanish Governor's Palace
at San Antonio. Gargoyles and
cherubs are here replaced with repre­sentations
of Matthews and his wife
and profiles of their son and daughter.
Another impressive set of residential
doors, also by Mansbendel, may be
seen in the old Shephard King home
at Dallas.
Overdoor
1934, Walnut, H . 36", w. 48"
Owned by The University of Texas
at Austin
Elaborate in concept, rich in detail,
masterful in execution, this hand­some
overdoor was created originally
for The University of Texas Wrenn
Library, a room which is now part of
the university president's offices.
Overdoor
1939, Cypress, H. 20", W . 60"
Owned by Mr. and Mrs.
Glenn M. Tooke, Jr., Austin
This overdoor was carved at the re­quest
of architect Hugo Kuehne, Sr.,
for the Woodlawn Avenue residence
of Dr. Sam Key, Sr., prominent Austin
physician.
v '-' '. ~
Fireplace Mantel
1917, Mesquite, H. 61/4", w. 46"
Owned by the Texas Fine Arts
Association, Austin
Texas's noblest shrine, the Alamo,
once was saved from destruction
through the intervention of twenty­two-
year-old Clara Driscoll. She
bought a thirty-day option on the
property and held control until its
preservation was assured. Since then
the structure has had several face lift­ings.
During one of these, a superflu­ous
rafter was removed and presented
to Clara Driscoll.
She then commissioned Peter
Mansbendel to use the wood for a
carving depicting the siege of the
Alamo. When finished, the beam was
set into a fireplace mantel for her
Austin home, Laguna Gloria. The
central panel is flanked with one of
the Texas Capitol and another of the
lagoon (Lake Austin) by which that
home still stands.
Fireplace Mantel
1924, English Oak, H. 102", W. 80"
Owned by Republic Financial
Services, Incorporated, Dallas
The library of the Shephard King
home on Turtle Creek Drive in Dallas
must be the most elaborately con­ceived
room in Texas. Created for a
wealthy cotton merchant, the room
features magnificent carvings on the
mantel as well as the entrance doors,
door and window facings, and a series
of panels at eye level around the en­tire
room. The mantel is said to have
been reproduced from one of similar
design in England's Bromley Castle.
Mansbendel himself once declared
that "too much carving is just as ob­noxious
as a woman with too many
diamonds." The King library is as
elaborate as imagination permits
without exceeding the bounds of
taste. The architect of this expansive
Mediterranean-style home was a
twenty-four-year-old prodigy named
1. Allen Boyle.
Fireplace Mantel
French Renaissance-sty Ie, I 927,
Owned by Mrs. Gus Wortham,
Houston
This mantel, carved originally for
F. P. Sterling's South Boulevard
home, is one of Mansbendel's finest
creations. It is one of relatively few
that he signed and dated. The carving
itself is a blending of imagination,
delicacy, vigor and freshness that is
unexcelled in any other of his works.
The artist had a particularly close as­sociation
with Birdsall Briscoe, the
architect of this and many other
noted Houston homes.
Fireplace Mantel
I929, Oak and limestone, H. 54 I /2",
W·72 "
Owned by Mr. and Mrs. Bob Bailey,
Austin
The fireplace mantel shown here is
unusual in that Mansbendel carved
the shelf in English oak and the facing
around the firebox in limestone. The
work was commissioned by architect
Hugo Kuehne, Sr., for the Windsor
Road home of A. D. Bolm, founder of
Austin Laundry and Dry Cleaners. Set
high in the northeast wall of this
structure is a limestone block in
which Mansbendel carved a dwarf in
bas relief.
Fireplace Mantel
Adam-style, 1932,
White Pine, H. 55/1, W. 63/1
Owned by Mrs. Zachary T. Scott,
Austin
If Peter Mansbendel knew that a fire­place
mantel would be painted, he
carved it in soft, easily worked white
pine. If the mantel were to be left in
its natural state, then a more attrac­tive
wood than pine was chosen. The
mantel depicted here was done at the
request of architect Sam Gideon, for
Sweetbrush, the Austin home of Dr.
and Mrs. Zachary T. Scott.
. ----
Fireplace Mantel
I936, English Oak, H. 60/1, W. 72/1
Owned by the Clayton Genealogical
Library, Houston
For more than a half century Will
Clayton of Houston was one of the
nation's leading cotton merchants.
Architect Birdsall Briscoe commis­sioned
Mansbendel to execute a fire­place
mantel for Clayton's Caroline
Avenue home. What more appro­priate
motif could there be than one
of cotton leaves and bolls?
Staircase Newels and
Stringer Facings
I929, English Oak, H. 49/1 (newel)
Owned by Dr. and Mrs. Daniel T.
Matthews, Austin
This staircase was created by Mans­bendel
for the Windsor Road home of
Mr. and Mrs. Ralph C. Goeth, who
sold it in I937 to Ben Powell, noted
Austin attorney. The stringer facings
shown here alternate with acanthus
leaves and ribbon folds, two classic
subjects of the woodcarver's art. The
sitting room to the left of the stair­well
and the formal living room to the
right both have handsomely done
fireplace mantels.
Staircase Newels
I929, English Oak, H . 48/1
Owned by Mr. and Mrs.
Richard Keeton, Houston
Famed Houston architect John Staub
commissioned Mansbendel to provide
woodwork for the South Boulevard
home of General R. C. Kuldell.
Among the results were the staircase
newels shown here.
China Cabinets
I928, White Pine, H. 63/1, w. 36/1
Owned by The University of Texas
at Austin
This china cabinet is one of two that
face each other in the hexagonal sit­ting
room of the old M. C. Parrish
home on West Lynn in Austin. The
architect who commissioned the
work was Wilson McClure. The shell
motif is exceedingly difficult to exe­cute,
even for an experienced carver.
Chandelier
White Pine, Dia. 36"
Owned by Mr. and Mrs.
W. T. Williams, III, Austin
Mansbendel carved this chandelier for
his family dining room.
Swinging Doors
I930, Mahogany, H. 50", w. 34" (each)
Owned by Mr. and Mrs.
Hugo Kuehne. Jr., Austin
Hugo Kuehne, Sr., was a noted Austin
architect who occasionally asked
Mansbendel to provide finishing
touches for various projects, includ­ing
his own home. Between the din­ing
and living room of that home was
an open Spanish arch. Mrs. Kuehne
"stayed after" Mansbendel some half
dozen years to make swinging doors
that would screen serving and clear­ing
operations in the dining room.
The doors have now been removed to
the home of Hugo Kuehne, Jr.
Ceiling Panels
I936, White Pine, H. 28", L. II6"
Owned by Republic Financial
Corporation, Dallas
A decade after initial completion of
the Shephard King home, it was sold
to oilman Freeman W. Burford whose
wife, Carolyn Skelly, had oil interests
of her own. The new owners engaged
Mansbendel a second time to carve
and install ceiling panels in the living
room. The design involved some
2,400 separate pieces and required six
workmen eight weeks to install. In
the intervening years the architec­tural
integrity of the building has
been preserved and it is once again on
the market.
Furniture Prayer Desk
1916, Walnut, H. 37", w. 26"
Owned by Saint David's Episcopal
Church, Austin
Mansbendel was a member of Saint
David's Episcopal Church and sang in
its choir. He carved this prayer desk
for the church soon after he and his
wife Clotilde had returned perma­nently
to Austin in 1915.
At least two other Austin churches
contain examples of his work. In
Saint Martin;s Lutheran Church there
is a large plaque bearing the words
"God is Love." In 1939, his last year
of work, he provided carving for the
pulpit of the University Methodist
Church.
Each of these pieces is made of wal­nut
which, after mahogany, is the
other great furniture making mate­rial.
It is a hardwood with a close
grain, an even texture, and a tendency
to split, but it takes a beautiful polish.
Bedroom Suite
1914, Walnut
Bedstead, H. 80" (headboard), w. 64", L. 82"
Chest of drawers, H. 85" (mirror), w. 42"
Owned by Mrs. Haddon Anderson,
Abilene
The bedroom suite pictured here was
acquired by Mrs. Bailey A. Jones and
the late Mr. Jones from the Millet
Mansion, an early day Austin hos­telry.
The Jones's then commis­sioned
Mansbendel to enhance the
simple lines of the furniture with
carving. This he did by affixing the
woman's face on the headboard and
another above the dresser mirror. He
also applied carving to the footboard.
A year later he constructed a wholly
new bedroom suite for the Jones's,
this one with a motif of roses.
Mansbendel also produced two ex­ceptionally
fine suites for the Lutcher
Starks of Orange: one carved with
roses, the other with wedgewood
medallions.
I,
I
Hall Chest
Italian Renaissance-style
Walnut, H. 32", w. 29", L. 73"
Owned by W. T. Williams, Jr., Austin
Visitors to the Mansbendel home
carry vivid memories of this massive
chest which has always stood against
the south wall of the living room near
the front door. The design was in­spired
by an ancient caisson once
used in a Florentine monastery and
later preserved in a Florence museum.
Mansbendel's piece is carved in bold
relief from four-inch thick Texas
walnut and is cedar-lined. The Italian
Renaissance pattern is highlighted
with graceful feminine figures, half
angel and half wood nymph, set
against an indistinct background. The
wood has darkened with age to an
ebony-like appearance.
Folding Screen
English Oak, H. 72", w. 26"
(each panel)
Owned by W. T. Williams, Jr., Austin
For his own home Mansbendel pro­duced
this handsome, and quite
heavy, folding screen. The dominant
vertical lines of its linen fold pattern
make it appear taller than it actually
is.
Library Furniture
1926, Walnut
Table H. 28/1, W. 32/1, L. 84/1
Chairs H. 49/1, W. 22/1
Owned by the Episcopal Seminary of
the Southwest, Austin
Charles 1. Black, an Austin-based ap­pellate
lawyer, built a home on Pease
Road in 1926. For him, the library was
its focal point. Peter Mansbendel was
retained to carve table, chairs, fire­place
mantel and shelves. The shelf
work was done on location under the
superintendence of seven-year-old
Betty Black, now Mrs. Robert 1.
Hatchett of Houston. In 1954 the li­brary
and its furnishings were reestab­lished
in the Episcopal Seminary of
the Southwest as a memorial to Mr.
and Mrs. Black.
i,
Exhibit Case
Walnut, H. 72/1, W. 79/1
Owned by The University of Texas
at Austin
Dr. James Harper Starr was secretary
of the treasury for the Republic of
Texas. His descendants made availa­ble
his papers and memorabilia to The
University of Texas at Austin. They
also commissioned Peter Mansbendel
to build a handsome exhibit case in
which a portion of that material could
be displayed. The case and its con­tents
are located in the Eugene C.
Barker Texas History Center.
Decorative Works Cartouches
1937 Walnut, H. 32 1i2/1, W. 27/1
Owned by The University of Texas
at Austin
In 1921 The University of Texas at
Austin acquired the Genaro Garcia li­brary
as the nucleus of its world
famed Latin-American Collection.
When this collection was housed in
the new administration building in
1937, Peter Mansbendel was asked to
execute three cartouches. One depicts
the Cabeza de Vaca coat-of-arms,
another the seal of the Franciscan Or­der,
and a third the bookplate of Ge­naro
Garcia.
Portrait Plaque,
Cardinal Newman
1921, Plaster within a walnut panel
Portrait, H. 34 112", W. 28 112"
Panel, H. 48", w. 8S"
Owned by the Catholic Diocese
of Austin
The Newman portrait plaque hangs
over the fireplace in the dining room
of Newman Hall in Austin.
Portrait Busts,
Beethoven and Liszt
1922, Redwood, H. IS"
Owned by Mr. and Mrs.
Sherman Hunt, Dallas
In 1922 Mansbendel was engaged by
architects Hal Thompson and Frank
Swain to provide carvings for the Dal­las
home of Mrs. F. L. Blankenship, a
well-known voice teacher at the
Hockaday School. For her studio he
executed portrait busts of her favorite
composers: Beethoven and Liszt.
Elsewhere in the house may be found
two built-in hallway cabinets, a
swinging door and a limestone fire­place
mantel, all simply but attrac­tively
carved. Outside, the front en­trance
is guarded by a pair of mildly
outrageous gargoyles.
1
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Portrait Medallions,
University of Texas Presidents
Walnut, Dia. 18"
Owned by The University of Texas
at Austin
Mansbendel regarded these portrait
plaques of former University of Texas
presidents as among his best works.
Of the eleven carved by the Swiss art­ist,
two were made from life: those of
H. Y. Benedict and W. J. Battle.
Mansbendel recalled that "Dr. Battle
didn't help very much, for he usually
fell asleep when he posed."
Portrait Plaque,
Charles Dickens
Walnut, H. 10", w. 7"
Owned by Mr. and Mrs.
Frank W. McBee, Jr., Austin
This portrait plaque was given by
Mansbendel to his friends, the Robert
Brandts, during the Dickens revival
that followed Metro-Goldwyn­Mayer's
hit movie, David Copper­field,
released in 1935. Brandt, an
employee of The University of Texas
Physics Department, was in the
Sangerrunde with Mansbendel, while
Mrs. Brandt was a librarian at the
Texas State Archives.
Portrait Plaque,
Stephen F. Austin
1938, Walnut, H . 30", w. 24"
Owned by the City of Austin
Mansbendel carved this portrait
plaque of Stephen F. Austin as his gift
to the people of Austin. He then de­livered
it to Mayor Tom Miller with a
request that it be displayed in a suita­ble
location.
Portrai t Plaque, Sam Houston
1939, English Oak, H. 44", w. 32"
Owned by W. T. Williams, Jr., Austin
Mansbendel's last carving was one of
his best-a heroic portrayal of Texas's
most renowned hero, Sam Houston.
Throughout 1939 the stricken artist
worked at a blistering pace to com­plete
several major commissions.
Sensing that death was imminent, he
finished this last carving under cir­cumstances
that revealed his own
brand of heroism.
Caricatures
Cypress, H . 9"
Owned by Mr. and Mrs.
W. Randell Eldridge, Kerrville
These caricatures were created for the
country home of Dr. R. W. Shippe on
Bee Cave Road near Austin. Dewey
Bradford (the figure on the left) seems
to recall that they were fellow Shrin­ers.
The figure on the right is Godfrey
Flury, a Shriner who was friend to
both Shippe and Mansbendel.
The carver did a masterful job of
utilizing the wood grain to give
character to the faces. These have
been dry scrubbed with a wire brush
to expose the hard grain. He also exe­cuted
a well remembered series of
caricatures for the old Cactus Tea
Room that once stood on The Drag
(Guadalupe Street) in Austin.
Animal Figures
Cypress, H . 8" to II"
Owned by Mr. and Mrs.
w. Randell Eldridge, Kerrville
For Dr. Shippe's country house Mans­bendel
also carved several animal
figures. Rector Emeritus Charles W.
Sumners of Saint David's Episcopal
Church was present in Shippe's home
soon after the pieces were completed.
Mansbendel was there, too.
The doctor began teasing the wood­carver
about the position of the wolf's
head. "A wolf raises its head and
opens its mouth to bark at the moon
or whatever. Peter, this wolf has its
head up and its mouth closed. Possi­ble,
but not likely!"
Mansbendel feigned great distress.
"My dear doctor, of course, you are
right! Here, let me take it back."
The doctor quickly decided he had
rather live with Mansbendel's mis­take
than risk not getting it promptly
replaced.
Deerhead on Carved Mounting
I932, Walnut, H. 23 /1, W. I9/1 (base)
Owned by Dr. and Mrs.
Alvin G. Flury, San Angelo
Willie Dieter killed this eight-point
buck on the Felix Ahrens ranch in
Gillespie County. But it was Godfrey
Flury who sent the head with its
beautifully formed rack to a taxider­mist
and who commissioned Mans­ben
del to carve the mounting.
Decorative Panel
Poplar, H . 8/1, W. 25/1
Owned by the Bertha Becker Haenel
family, Austin
Among Mansbendel's good friends
was Herman Becker, who owned the
lumberyard at First and Congress.
Becker had four children, and for each
of them Mansbendel carved a decora­tive
panel of fruits and flowers. In the
one shown here each component has
been hand-tinted with oil paints.
These tinted panels are among the
scarcest and most beautiful of Mans­bendel's
works.
IDecorative Applique on
Wall Panel
White Pine, H. 42/1, W. 38/1
Owned by the Texas Oil Marketers
Association, Austin
This carving was done for the dining
room of the old David Reed home on
I5th Street in Austin. The structure
now serves as an office building.
Pictorial Panel
1933, Pine, H. 18", W. 12"
Owned by W. T. Williams, Jr., Austin
Another of Mansbendel's favorite
works, the panel shown here is inset
above the mantel in his late daugh­ter's
home. The natural wood has
warmth, depth and beauty in its
graining, which is skillfully accen­tuated
by the carving. At the bottom
of the panel are the neatly inscribed
words Gratia Plena or thanks for all
blessings.
Flower Panel,
Chrysanthemums
Walnut with fir frame,
H. 28 112", w. 13 112"
Owned by Dorothy Flury, Austin
This flower panel illustrates the
manner in which a carver undercuts
leaf and petal edges to give them a
delicate appearance and to keep them
from appearing as heavy as the stems.
Mansbendel created many panels
similar to this one.
Rho Chi Emblem
Walnut, H. 16", W. II"
Owned by the Rho Chi chapter of
The University of Texas at Austin
Seal of the University of Texas
at Austin
1933, Poplar, H. IS 112", w. IS"
Owned by Alfred O. Wupperman,
Austin
The University of Texas seal shown
here was a joint undertaking of Mans­bendel
and his pupil, Alfred O. Wup­perman.
They used as a model the
small seal on the brass belt buckle
shown at left. Wupperman did the
star. Mansbendel carved half the book
and Wupperman duplicated it. The
two then alternated work on the
leaves.
Picture Plaque,
Elisabet N ey Home
Walnut, H . 8 I12", W. I2"
Owned by the Austin Art League
Formosa, the Austin home of
sculptress Elisabet Ney, became a
museum not long after her death in
I 907. Located some half dozen blocks
north of the Mansbendel home, the
woodcarver occasionally used the
studio facilities through the generos­ity
of the curator, Mrs. J. W. Rutland.
In appreciation he made for Mrs. Rut­land
a picture of the Ney home, For­mosa.
Picture Plaque, Mission
Concepcion
Poplar, H . 8", w. 6"
Owned by Mrs. Arthur Fehr, Austin
Mansbendel's interpretation of Mis­sion
Concepcion was a gift to Arthur
Fehr's mother-in-law, Mrs. A. W.
Grant, wife of the longtime managing
editor of the San Antonio Express.
Motto Plaque
1939, White Pine, H. 18/1, W. 48/1
Owned by the Tejas Club, Austin
Again, this motto plaque was one of
the numerous commissions executed
by Mansbendel in the last year of his
life. Another fine motto carving may
be found in Austin at the Scholz Gar­ten,
home of the Sangerrunde.
Mirror
1919, White Pine, H . 36/1, W. 19/1
Owned by Mrs. H. C. Caruthers,
Del Valle
The "bluebird" mirror was a gift from
Mansbendel to David M. and Mary E.
Moffatt at their wedding in 1919. The
Moffatts became next door neighbors
of the Mansbendels. He was a long­time
Austin dry goods merchant,
while she later operated Moffatt's
Home Bakery.
~}
)
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.~ Q .
Mirror
1938, White Pine with gold leaf,
H. 36", w . 24 112"
Owned by Mr. and Mrs.
William F. Cofer, Uvalde
Mansbendel carved this mirror for
prominent Austin lawyer John D.
Cofer and his wife. At left is the pre­liminary
drawing for Cofer's approval.
Child's Head
I906, English Oak, H. I3/1
Owned by Mr. and Mrs.
Sidney Brown, Dallas
The child's head shown here is the
earliest Mansbendel item presently
located. It was carved while he was
still a student in Paris. The material is
English oak, a hard, close-grained
white wood that ages, and has in this
case, to a beautiful, dull yellow. It can
be a most difficult medium in which
to work, however, because it does not
lend itself to the kind of delicate de­tail
seen here.
Statuette, "The Drunk Monk"
Walnut, H . I3 II2/1
Owned by W. T. Williams, Jr., Austin
The tipsy monk debates whether to
refill his empty jug. The base of this
statuette is inscribed with the eternal
question: "Shall E"
Inkstand
1915, Walnut, H. 4/1, w. 12 112/1
Owned by Mr. and Mrs. John L. Hill,
Austin
Margaret Wilson, daughter of Presi­dent
Woodrow Wilson, was a talented
singer who concertized extensively
before troop audiences during World
War 1. One of those concerts was
given in Austin. The townspeople
bought and presented her this ink­stand
tokening their appreciation.
Miss Wilson subsequently entrusted
the gift to the care of her hosts, the
John Donnan family, saying that a
work of such beauty should remain in
the community of its origin. The ink­stand
passed to Mr. and Mrs. John L.
Hill when they acquired the Donnan
home in 1974.
Humidor
Mahogany and walnut,
H. 12 1/4/1, W. 12 1/4/1
Owned by Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson,
Johnson City
Each visible side of this humidor de­picts
one of the five San Antonio mis­sions.
This prized object remained in
the Mansbendel family until a few
years ago when it was presented to
Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson by W. T. Wil­liams,
Jr. and his wife, the late Valerie
Mansbendel Williams.
Cigarette Box
1936, Pine, H. 4", w. 4", L. i'
Owned by Mrs. Henry J. Schmidt,
Fredericksburg
In the early depression days Mans­bendel's
daughter and son-in-law, Bill
Williams, spent much time in Freder­icksburg,
where Williams was en­gaged
in legal practice involving two
local banks. They were frequent
guests at the Nimitz Hotel, then op­erated
by the Henry Schmidts. In time
Mansbendel himself came to the
Nimitz. On one visit he brought the
Schmidts a gift-this cigarette case.
The lid is carved with a buck and doe
surrounded by mistletoe, subjects
reflective of the Texas hill country.
Gunstock
1932, Birdseye Maple, L. 44 112"
Owned by Frederick W. Dieter, Jr.,
Austin
Willie Dieter of the Calcasieu Lumber
Company was a particularJ.y close
friend of Peter Mansbendel's and reg­ularly
attended the Saturday night
soirees at the carver's home. He al­ways
saw to it that Mansbendel re­ceived
the choicest woods from each
new shipment to the lumberyard.
Dieter also was an inveterate hunter
for whose friendship Mansbendel ex­pressed
appreciation with this carved
gunstock.
The wood used here is birdseye
maple, described by Mansbendel's
pupil, Gene Heath, as "a mess to
carve." Its redeeming feature, how­ever,
is its attractive grain and silky
smoothness. One side bears an oak
leaf and acorn motif, while the other
has a three-part ribbon fold inscribed:
"Wm Dieterj Austin, Texasj 1932."
Breadboard
1918, Birch, L. IS 112"
Owned by Mrs. Yvonne Greear,
El Paso
This breadboard was carved for Mrs.
A. C. Goeth, whose husband was long
affiliated with Tips Iron and Steel
Company. Mansbendel did consider­able
carving for members of the Tips
family.
Candlesticks
Walnut (left), Maple (right), H. 7",
Dia. I S" (base)
Owned (left) by Mr. and Mrs.
V. E. Heath, New Braunfels; (right)
by Mrs. Yvonne Greear, El Paso
The walnut candlestick shown at left
was discovered in a Houston junk
shop some twenty-five years ago by
V. E. Heath, Mansbendel's one-time
apprentice. Heath knew instinctively
that it was the work of his teacher,
but proof was lacking until the maple
candlestick on the right was obtained
for this exhibition. The second
candlestick, virtually identical to the
first, has remained in the family of
Julia Tips Goeth, who owned it orig­inally.
It also has Mansbendel's studio
label affixed to the underside of the
base.
Gavel
Walnut, L. 8 I /4"
Owned by the Texas Fine Arts
Association, Austin
This gavel was carved for the Texas
Fine Arts Association, an organiza­tion
whose initial concern was the
maintenance of Elisabet Ney's home
and studio as a Texas landmark. The
association was the custodian of the
Ney Museum from I932, when it was
acquired from the Joseph B. Dibrell
estate, until I94I, when ownership
was conveyed to the City of Austin
Parks and Recreation Department.
The head of this gavel bears a small
likeness of the Ney home.
Guest Book Cover
I935, Walnut, H . 7 II2", W. 10 112"
Owned by Dr. and Mrs. R. E. Bratton,
Austin
The guest book cover that Mansben­del
carved for his personal physician,
Dr. R. E. Bratton, depicts the doctor's
home on Poquonock Road in Austin.
After four decades the home is un­changed
from Mansbendel's view of
it. Another handsome guest book is
one that he carved for the Flury fam­ily
of Austin.
Bookends
1936, English Oak, H. 7", w. 5"
Owned by Mr. and Mrs.
Martin Casey, San Antonio
These bookends were commissioned
by Dorothy Shelby for her fiance,
Martin Casey, upon his graduation
from The University of Texas Law
School. One of the ends depicts Pere­grin
us, patron saint of the law school,
while the other shows the university
seal.
Jewelry Box
1937, Walnut, H. 6", w. 7112",
L. 13 112"
Owned by Mrs. Arthur Fehr, Austin
As a budding architect Arthur Fehr
occupied a part of the old Swedish
consulate in which Mansbendel had
his studio. In 1937 Fehr commis­sioned
Mansbendel to produce this
jewelry box as a birthday present for
his fiancee, Mary Jane Grant of San
Antonio.
Chess Set
Walnut and basswood, H. 4" to 7"
Owned by Dr. and Mrs.
G. Cliflord Thorne, Austin
This thirty-two piece chess set was
carved for the late Ocie Speer, a dis­tinguished
jurist and author of legal
texts. A magnifying glass reveals a
wealth of detail on each piece.
Statue
1928, Limestone, H. 36"
Owned by Dr. and Mrs.
Hyman J. Ettlinger, Austin
This charming piece of garden
statuary was chiseled from limestone
found along the banks of Onion Creek
southwest of Austin.
Carving Tools
Owned by W. T. Williams, Jr.,
Austin
Peter Mansbendel had over three
hundred carving tools. This repre­sentative
sampling includes (L to R) a
V or parting tool, fiat gouge, fluter or
deep gouge, grounding tool, short bent
gouge, back bent gouge, veiner and
rimer file. All but the rimer file are
gouges, which are the roughing tools
used in woodcarving, as well as
finishing tools for rounded details.
Essentially gouges are chisels that
vary in curvature and height of sides.
They range from flat gouges to
U-shaped "fluters" with high sides. A
very small fluter is called a veiner and
is used for veining leaves, outlining
and grooving. V-shaped gouges are
called parting tools and are employed
for outlining, undercutting and finish­ing
inside corners.
Some gouges have curved blades. If
the curvature is gradual, it is called a
long bentj if sharply curved, a short
bent gouge. If the tool has an offset,
then it is a back bent and the cutting
edge is reversed. Back bents are used
primarily for undercutting.
A rimer is a file-like tool with an
abrasive surface used for coarsely
shaping or smoothing a surface. Miss­ing
from the display here is a firmer,
which is like a carpenter's chisel, ex­cept
that it is sharpened from both
sides. It is used in making straight
cuts.
Acknow ledgmen ts
LENDERS TO THE EXHIBITION
Abilene
Mrs. Haddon R. Anderson
Austin
Austin Art League
Austin Public Library
Mr. and Mrs. Bob J. Bailey
Norman McKay Barker
Dr. and Mrs. Jerry P. Bordelon
Dr. and Mrs. R. E. Bratton
Mr. and Mrs. W. Terry Bray
Raymond Brown
Mr. and Mrs. Roy Butler
Catholic Diocese of Austin
Mr. and Mrs. John H. Chiles, Jr.
Judge and Mrs. Hume B. Cofer
Mrs. Roberta P. Crenshaw
Mr.and Mrs. Paul R. Davis, Jr.
Delta Kappa Epsilon
Frederick W. Dieter, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Bob R. Dorsey
Episcopal Seminary of the Southwest
Dr. and Mrs. Hyman J. Ettlinger
Mr. and Mrs. Tom A. Fairey
Mrs. Arthur Fehr
Dorothy A. Flury
Family of Bertha Becker Haenel
Mr. and Mrs. John 1. Hill
Mr. and Mrs. John C. Horton
Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Killen
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Kocurek
Mr. and Mrs. Hugo F. Kuehne, Jr.
A. A. Mallas, Jr.
Dr. and Mrs. Daniel T. Matthews
Mr. and Mrs. Jeffery Mayne
Mr. and Mrs. Frank W. McBee, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Clarence McCullough
Mrs. Patricia A. McMillan
Tommy 1. Miles
Mr. and Mrs. Duncan E. Osborne
Pathfinder's Club
Mrs. W. H. Purdy
Dr. and Mrs. Oscar W. Reinmuth
Saint David's Episcopal Church
Saint George's Episcopal Church
Saint Martin's Lutheran Church
Mrs. Zachary T. Scott
Mrs. Wilhelmine B. Sheffield
Family of Maria Schmidt Sievers
Mrs. Tony Stasswender and Family
Texas Federation of Women's Clubs
Texas Fine Arts Association
Texas Oil Marketers Association
Dr. and Mrs. G. Clifford Thorne
Mr. and Mrs. Glenn M. Tooke
University of Texas at Austin
Mr. and Mrs. Paul S. Wakefield
Arthur Watson Associates
Mr. and Mrs. Carl T. Widen
Mr. and Mrs. W. T. Williams, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. W. T. Williams, III
Mr. and Mrs. Roy W. Winters
Alfred O. Wupperman
Dallas
Mr. and Mrs. Sidney C. Brown
Mr. and Mrs. Sherman Hunt, Jr.
Mrs. Monty Montgomery
Republic Financial Services,
Incorporated
Del Valle
Mrs. H. C. Caruthers
El Paso
Mrs. Yvonne Greear
Fredericksburg
Mrs. Henry J. Schmidt
Houston
Mr. and Mrs. James C. Cal1away
Clayton Genealogical Library
Mr. and Mrs. Richard P. Keeton
Mrs. Libby Kempner •
Mr. and Mrs. Leneau Landon
Mr. and Mrs. Al Parker
Mrs. Estelle Perlitz
Saint Thomas University
Mrs. Gus Wortham
Johnson City
Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson
Kerrville
Mr. and Mrs. W. Randell Eldridge
McAllen
Mr. and Mrs. F. E. Schulze
New Braunfels
Mr. and Mrs. V. E. Heath
San Angelo
Dr. and Mrs. Alvin G. Flury
San Antonio
Mr. and Mrs. William A. Beinhorn
Mr. and Mrs. Martin F. Casey
City of San Antonio
Mr. Harvey P. Smith, Jr.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Uvalde
Mr. and Mrs. William F. Cofer
In addition to the foregoing lenders
there were easily three hundred indi­viduals
who willingly shared their
knowledge of Peter Mansbendel and
his work. Regrettably this contribu­tion
cannot individually be recog­nized.
The gratitude is nonetheless
heartfelt. The exhibition simply
could not have happened without the
support of Peter M. Mansbendel,
W. T. Williams, Jr., and Audray
Bateman of the Austin Public Library.
Finally, the debt owed to V. E. Heath,
Mansbendel's one-time apprentice, is
utterly beyond recompense.
Photography by
INFORMEDIA of Austin (June and
Michael Sidoric)
Earley Photography of McAllen
(page 10)
Institute of Texan Cultures staff
Designed by Richard Hendel