The Magpie's Hoard

Grouse in Flight

Here is another one of my late father's sculptures: a grouse in flight. It's one of my favourites, but I'm not sure when he carved it or what sort of wood he used. I think it probably dates from the late 1970s.

"Grouse in Flight" by Ronald Butterfield (1920 - 2007)

It's difficult to do justice to this carving with a single two-dimensional photo, so here's a shot from a slightly different angle.

"Grouse in Flight" by Ronald Butterfield (1920 - 2007)

Dad loved to carve birds and animals. His favourite subjects were birds of prey, particularly the peregrine falcon. Sadly, the family no longer has any of his peregrine carvings; I think he sold them several decades ago. It would be great to hear from anyone who has one.

Fish Leaping

"Fish Leaping" by Ronald Butterfield (1920 - 2007)

This sculpture was designed and carved my father in 1936, when he was just sixteen years old. The material is Hoptonwood Stone, a fossiliferous limestone with some of the qualities of marble. Many years later, he wrote:

"It is an exceedingly pleasant stone to work, cuts very cleanly and has a great range of colour from grey through warmer tones of fawn to a pink-buff."

"Another endearing thing about this stone is that it will take a very pleasant polish which adds a soft lustrous finish and so it is really a very satisfying stone to carve."

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