SAUGY, LOUIS DAVID: Bauernleben mit Steinböck... Lot n° 7

SAUGY, LOUIS DAVID (Gérignoz 1871 - 1953 Rougemont) : Peasant life with ibexes; silhouette; 27,5x34 cm (LM); in cut dat. 1939 o.m., on. Carpet pad sig. o.r./o.l. Underlay with traces of glue. Louis David Saugy, together with Johann Jakob Hauswirth, is one of the most important representatives of popular silhouette, a popular form of handicraft activity in Switzerland in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Saugy grew up in the Pays d'Enhaut as the son of a farmer and a teacher in simple rural circumstances. He first earned his living as a carpenter, later as a letter carrier. In the farmhouses of the area he encountered the silhouettes of Johann Jakob Hauswirth, which inspired him to his first own attempts. At the age of 40 he was able to exhibit and sell his products for the first time. Due to a hearing disorder, the Vaudois took early retirement and from then on devoted himself entirely to silhouettes. His work quickly attracted international attention beyond regional borders, and his clientele included collectors from England and the United States, as well as personalities such as the Spanish royal family. Saugy drew his repertoire of motifs from the realities of everyday life. Peasant scenes, alpine processions, and hearts are among the integral parts of his cutwork. A trip to Valais made a lasting impression on the artist, who was already over 70 years old, and led to an expansion of his range of motifs. In addition to monochrome black silhouettes, Saugy also created large-scale, multi-colored compositions of a high level of detail.