1970s VINTAGE "MOUSEMAN" APPRENTICE PETER "RABBITMAN" HEAP - OAK FRUIT BOWL
£395.00
Here we have for sale a vintage fruit bowl by ex-"Mouseman" trained craftsman Peter "Rabbitman" Heap.
It's beautifully adzed and hand-tooled, featuring Peter Heap's signature rabbit sitting in the centre. The mellow honey fumed colour, patina and distinctive design of the bowl, with its faux bamboo rim, and the squat shape of the rabbit, suggest a date in the 1970s.
The fruit bowl is in very good original condition with no damage. It looks as if it was only ever used as a display piece.
This fruit bowl is typical of Peter Heap's earlier work. The early signature rabbit is nice and plump. The whole bowl is expertly fully hand tooled and adzed, a fine example of his craftsmanship.
It measures D24cm x H5cm approx.
Peter Heap was another of the "Mouseman" trained craftsmen who left the company in the 1960s and 1970s to set up their own workshops and apply their skills to creating pieces in their own individual styles, and who became known as the "Yorkshire Critters."
Trained as a "Mouseman" craftsman in the 1960s, in1971 Peter established his workshop in the Yorkshire Wolds village of Wetwang, later joined by his son and another ex-Mouseman craftsman, Patrick Tite, until the business closed in 2000.
His designs are very much in the tradition of Robert Thompson, but he adds his own twist to his mentor's aesthetic, and his signature carved rabbit at rest makes his work instantly recognisable. Peter's work is highly rated among collectors.
Sadly Peter passed away at the age of 77 in 2002.
To nourish and preserve the oak, this fruit bowl has been lightly waxed using Gilboy's polish, which is a 100% natural product used by top restorers and conservators.
All in all, a highly collectable example of Rabbitman's work, which would make a great addition to any collection.
The fruit bowl will be safely and securely packaged for tracked and fully insured shipping by Royal Mail