Lars Trygg, woodcarver, (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.

Early years

Trygg was born in Sweden. He was one of three children of Carl Johan Trygg and Maria Axelina Andersson. Lars worked with his father carving wooden figures of various common people in the Scandinavian flat-plane style of woodcarving. 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

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

, 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

* Carl Johan Trygg (1877–1954) * Carl Olof Trygg (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. — Carl Johan Trygg (Generally) *''C.J. Trygg'' — Carl Johan Trygg *''C.O. Trygg'' — Carl Olof 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 ...

*''Hand Carved by Trygg'' — Carl Johan 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 Carl Olof Trygg in 1961 while he was living in Sweden. File:Hobo5.JPG, Carl Olof Trygg signature Image:Ggolf4.JPG, Lars Trygg signature

References

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