Lars Trygg,

woodcarver Wood carving is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculptural ornamentation ...

, (29 May 1929 – 29 June 1999) was one of the recognized masters of 20th century

wood carving Wood carving is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculptural ornamentation ...

, most famous for

Scandinavian flat-plane style of woodcarving The Scandinavian flat-plane style of woodcarving is a style of figure carving. The figures are carved in large flat planes, created primarily using a carving knife. Tool marks are left in the carving and very little (if any) rounding or sanding ...

Early years

Trygg was born in Sweden. He was one of three children of

Carl Johan Trygg Carl Johan Trygg, formally ''Carl Johan Thrygg'', also knowns as C. J. Trygg, woodcarver, (1887 – 1954) was one of the recognized masters of twentieth century woodcarving, most famous for Scandinavian flat-plane style of woodcarving. Betwee ...

and Maria Axelina Andersson. Lars worked with his father carving wooden figures of various common people in the

. He immigrated to Canada with his family in the late 1920s. Between Trygg his father and two brothers (Nils, and Carl Olaf), they carved over 10,000 figures. Many of his carvings were sold to tourists for approximately US$10.00. Adjusted for inflation what cost $10.00 in 1929 would cost $108.05 in 2005.

Return to Sweden

and

Carl Olof Trygg Carl Olof Trygg (December 21, 1910 – 1993), was one of the recognized masters of 20th century woodcarving, most famous for Scandinavian flat-plane style of woodcarving. Trygg was born in Stora Tuna, Kopparberg county, Dalarna, Sweden. He was o ...

eventually returned to Sweden, where they continued their careers. Carl Johan died there 1954 and Carl Olaf, based on the dates on his

carvings Carving is the act of using tools to shape something from a material by scraping away portions of that material. The technique can be applied to any material that is solid enough to hold a form even when pieces have been removed from it, and ...

, was producing figures well into the 1980s. It is not clear whether Lars Trygg returned to Sweden or stayed in

Montreal, Quebec Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pea ...

, Canada.

Examples of carvings

Image:LTrygggolf1.JPG,

Wood carving Wood carving is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculptural ornamentation ...

of a golfer by Lars Trygg circa 1961 Image:LTrygggolf2.jpg,

head detail of a golfer by Lars Trygg circa 1961

The legacy

Trygg family of woodcarvers

(1877–1954) *

(1910–1993) *Lars Trygg * Nils E. Trygg Trygg family woodcarvings are still sought after today as collectibles. There are over 10,000 carved figures that were manufactured by the members of the Trygg family. Prices range from $50 to $500 depending upon the age, size, and condition of the piece.

Identifying Trygg woodcarvings

Trygg woodcarvings can be identified by the signatures and dates on the bases. Signatures commonly found are: *''Trygg'' carved on base. —

(Generally) *''C.J. Trygg'' —

*''C.O. Trygg'' —

*''L. Trygg'' — Lars Trygg *''N. E. Trygg'' —

Nils Trygg Nils Trygg (1914–1951) was one of the recognized masters of twentieth century woodcarving, most famous for the Scandinavian flat-plane style of woodcarving. Nils Trygg was born in Småland, Sweden. He was one of three sons of Carl Johan Trygg a ...

*''Hand Carved by Trygg'' —

or Carl Olaf, Lars, or

Nils Nils is a Scandinavian given name, a chiefly Norwegian, Danish, Swedish and Latvian variant of Niels, cognate to Nicholas. People and animals with the given name * Nils Bergström (born 1985), Swedish ice hockey player *Nils Björk (1898–1989) ...

*''Carved by Trygg Jr.'' — Carl Olaf, Lars, or

Most of the carvings are dated and include the location carved. For example, you may find a carving with ''"C.O. Trygg 1961 Sweden"'' meaning it was carved by

in 1961 while he was living in Sweden. File:Hobo5.JPG,

signature Image:Ggolf4.JPG, Lars Trygg signature

References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Trygg, Lars Swedish woodcarvers 1929 births 1999 deaths