A wonderful, early example of a Robert 'Mouseman' Thompson dark oak fruit bowl - circa 1940. It has quite a large, well carved plump mouse on the outside of the bowl. It is a gorgeous colour with fantastic patination that you just don't get with the later Mouseman fruit bowls.
Regarding condition, it is very good with no damage, just a bit of wear commensurate with age and use. The colour of the interior of the bowl is uneven due to some fruit acid staining - quite common with these early Mouseman bowls - priced accordingly. Other than that, no issues. There is one small natural knot which can be seen on the interior and exterior of the bowl, which adds a bit of character.
The early Mouseman bowls are a fair bit smaller than the later bowls. The diameter of this example measures 24.5 cm, the later bowls measure 30.5 cm.
These early bowls are much rarer than the later bowls that have the mouse in the bowl. Mouseman carved the mouse in the well of the fruit bowls from the early 1960s onwards. These examples often come to the market. The earlier made bowls with the mouse on the outside are harder to source and are therefore more sought after by collectors.
