This brilliantly hand carved walnut tobacco or pipe smoker stand is the best I have ever seen. It dates to circa 1860 and was made in the Black Forest region of Switzerland which is renowned for its local skills of producing fine hand carved objects often sold to wealthy travellers of the time.This superb example is of a larger scale and depicts a very appealing dog with his two front legs raised onto a step with two bowls in front of him presumably for food and water. He is tethered with a chain which is attached to his collar. The quality and detailing are a credit to the artist who carved it.This splendid piece captures a very natural pose. The eyes are inlaid and are made from glass. The head is hinged and lifts back to reveal its true purpose as a container for pipe tobacco and the bowls would be used for matches and resting a pipe.Height 17cm x width 24cm x depth 19cmRobert Belcher Antiques was established in 1984 and is a high-quality retailer of interesting, rare antiques and decorative objects. After forty years of shop keeping and maintaining beautiful showrooms, which have been regularly open six days a week, Robert and Wendy have now taken a slightly different approach to their business. Having sold their retail premises, the antique business is now fully online. The picture framing service has ceased to operate because of moving online. You can contact Robert and Wendy by email or telephone to discuss items from their extensive catalogue of attractive pieces and make purchases. Customers can rest assured that the long-established dealership is continuing to run in an exceedingly professional way, selling genuine and high-quality items which are guaranteed to please the most discerning collector, decorator or homeowner. All items will be personally hand packaged to a high standard. Small items are extensively wrapped using the best materials and are often double boxed. Items are then shipped with DHL or Royal Mail fully insu...