Spindler, Obernai, Tower

(2 photos)
Obernai (just a few miles southeast of Strasbourg) is one of our favorite Alsatian towns, we have visited here a half dozen times, at least. This beautiful tower is located just next to the cathedral (to the right, out of the photo). While we have visited this tower repeatedly, and we bought a Marquetry picture of this scene created by Jean-Charles (John) Spindler, we never bothered to find the historical story of the tower.

In 1980 we visited the Spindler studio and admired the piece of art. We made sure we visited Obernai to see the actual site and take this photo, then later that year we stopped and bought the beautiful Marquetry picture (about 24 by 30 inches), and managed to get it home with us on the airplane.

One morning when we shopped Obernai’s outdoor market, I bought dates from an Arab, Emmy bought some onions and a zucchini, and we found some very good bread. It rained the whole time we visited that particular year, but that just added to the enjoyment.
============

This is a photo of Jean-Charles Spindler, the artist (third generation Marquetry artist, of the Spindler family) and Emmy holding the Marquetry picture of the Obernai tower. Remember, this is Marquetry, there are only pieces of wood veneer, there is no paint, stain, or varnish!

Isn’t it absolutely amazing to see how meticulously, how accurately the Marquetry picture represents the actual photo. We have watched Jean-Charles as he worked in his studio, we have his art in our home, and it still is almost impossible to believe the accurate beauty of this masterpiece.