Peter Mansbendel-How I “Googled Greatness”
Peter Mansbendel-How I googled greatness!
Around 2005, I googled “woodcarvers in Texas” and this out of print exhibition booklet came up about Swiss woodcarver Peter Mansbendel (1883-1940) who came to Texas in 1911. It took me about a month to locate a copy and I purchased it. Upon my receipt of the booklet, I was quite impressed with Peter’s talent and his scope of work. His work emulated the great English carver Grinling Gibbons whom I’m also a fan of. I first found a few homes with examples of Mansbendel’s in Dallas from the booklet. A contact mentioned the Dallas Historical Society and I learned Peter Mansbendel’s home was in Austin in the historic Hyde Park neighborhood and had recently been restored by an Austin architect. I also was given Peter’s grandson Bill Williams contact info and he provided needed help in research and locating Peter’s work in Austin. I also relied heavily on the Austin History Center, Peter Maxion and word of other who knew his work.
We normally don’t think of pioneers as artists, but many talented immigrants came to this country from 1800-1920, and brought with them their trained artistic talents. Naturally, the artists came after the land was settled and government established. A new country has to be far advanced before the people become interested enough in beauty to placefine works of art in their homes. That is why any civilization is judged by its art more than anything else. “Time is fleeting; art alone endures”
Peter Mansbendel was among those immigrants and pioneers in art who came to Texas, he came not because the interest in art was high in Texas but for another reason…for love. The result however, was that he was among the few who had a great influence on the taste of his community, awakening in the people consciousness of beauty and design. Mansbendel’s art was that of carving in wood. With chisels and gouges of every conceivable shape, he carved in wood anything from inkwells to elaborate decorations which still grace many homes and public buildings in Texas.
Many people do not realize that fine artists are hard workers. Mansbendel was always at his bench carving or drawing designs for work to be done. Consequently, there are many fine examples of his work that still exist tothis day. “If you don’t do more than you are paid for, you won’t be paid for what you do” stated Peter Mansbendel. He made it the rule of his life. Every stroke of his woodcarver’s tool made good on his words. His words and work ethic constitute a legacy of high value even to this day. It was with this attitude that Peter Mansbendel carved his way into Texas History.
My book about Peter Mansbendel can be purchased on this site.