This sweet thing, with "His Masters Voice" spelled out in perfectly imperfect pyrographed block lettering below silhouettes of Nipper and gramophone, taught me a bit of RCA history: the company's logo derived from a 1898 painting by Liverpool-based artist Francis Barraud showing his terrier Nipper listening to a phonograph; a year later he replaced the phonograph with a gramophone in order to sell the painting to the Berliner Gramophone company. The rights to the image were later acquired by the Radio Corporation of America, RCA, whose use as their trademark would make it iconic.
I'm not entirely sure, but presume this panel was made after the RCA logo was established, though the image was known prior to that. Whatever the case, pretty winningI think, with intensive carving consuming every inch of the surface of the panel giving the impression of sound filling the air and reverberating in every direction. Perhaps the perfect thing for those of us who imagine that our dogs understand our every word, or for hanging on the wall near the dog bowl, or leash, or treats!
14 1/8" x 8" x 3/8". Very good condition, with its original hanging chain, very much part of the piece. Just a little surface wear to the stained ground--more visible in the photos than in hand, not at all detracting.
You might also like
