recent work

[Alain Lovenberg]

some close-up photos

 

[Jahn Baker]

Gorgeous work:clapping:! Love the raptors and the falconer! The Celtic Knotwork and the scrolls look flawless to me. Thank you for the inspiration.:bow:

 

[rod]

Your posted work is always totally inspiring in every way, Alain!

And you raise the bar every time. Thank you for your last post, and these additional close-ups.

I wonder if your splendid hunter on horseback was inspired by the continuing tradition in the Asian interior, where as a right of passage, a boy at puberty goes with his elders to seek an eagle's nest, often in very steep cliffs. We know that eagles often hatch two young, usually the stronger one prevails, and the other dies. I watched a documentary, and in it the young person assists in the capture of the young eagle, which he takes back to camp, where he is instructed in training of the eagle to hunt in partnership with the young boy in his process of becoming a respected man. They hunt on horseback, the young man developing the strength to hold the 18 pound golden eagle on his gauntleted wrist as they travel for hours. The eagle is of course kept in its wild state, but works in partnership with the hunter. What moved me most, was that after ten years, the hunter releases the eagle back into the wild, and the partnership ends.

What ever happened to the rite of passage in our Western culture? Until quite recently, it sometimes happened in the process of apprenticing. That's why an apprenticeship started at puberty... about age 14 or 15. Nowadays, society wants us to stick into our book learning until it is too late .... the ship sailed.

Or as Shakespeare said:

Brutus:

There is a tide in the affairs of men.
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat,
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures.

No?

Rod

 

[Paulie]

Very, very nice relief work, Mr. Lovenberg! The falcon & birds are truly amazing, I'm almost sure the horse in 'bas-relief' was the most difficult part, no? My sincere congratulations for your breathtaking work:clapping: Regards, Paulie

 

[jacoby pascal]

super.commme d hab

 

[Montejano]

A beautiful engraving of very high quality.
It goes very well, the bas-relief with gold inlay.
You are a great "master engraver" and a reference in the world of engraving. It is my honest opinion.

thanks for showing.

 

[g.rohrbaugh]

Great work! Everthing falls into place!

 

[Alain Lovenberg]

Many thanks !

Yes, Paulie, the horse and the eagle were both difficult.

Rod, the scene depicts the traditional wolf hunt with eagles in Kazakstan, I didn't know these details about the rite of passage.
I agree with you when you say that, in general, young people stay too long at school, studying in books not in real life. They miss the tide and the boat!

 

[Lee]

Another truly outstanding piece. Congratulations.

 

[rod]

Alain,

Perhaps you have read similar articles, this gives a description of golden eagle training:

http://www.mongoliatoday.com/eagle.html

Rod

 

[Doc Mark]

Wonderful! One of my favorite engravers doing one of my favorite subjects (Falconry). Thanks for sharing this marvelous piece with us.