Whittled Wonders: The Trolls of Swedish Woodcarver Bengt Brask (1908-1985)

Swedish woodcarver Bengt Brask is known for his masterful hand-carved troll figures.

Bengt Göran Brask was born on 7 June 1908 in Vårvik, Sweden. He followed in his father’s footsteps and became a woodcarver.

Brask specialised in carving troll souvenirs early on in his career and developed his own unique style of trolls.

Distinctive Features of Brask’s Trolls

Brask’s trolls are instantly recognisable by several key characteristics:

Expressive faces: Brask trolls typically have a wide, mischievous smile, stubby nose and small squinched eyes. They are happy looking fellows!
Clothing & accessories: A common feature among male Brask trolls is that they wear dungarees/ overalls. Some have pointy hats, carry a rucksack on their shoulder or smoke a pipe.
Poses: Most commonly standing straight with arms in their pockets. Also examples of trolls walking across a log, sitting on a tree stump or crouching down with arms folded.
Colour: Brask trolls usually consist of three main colour wood stains: Black for the hair, brown for the hat, face, pipe, rucksack and dunagrees/overalls, and navy for the shirt.

The gallery below showcases Bengt Brask’s unique trolls:

There were also some unique Brask carvings that did not follow the usual characteristics like these 1936 trolls:

Brask even produces some cast iron trolls:

Signature and Materials

Brask’s signature (an overlapping “BB” or “B Brask“) can be found carved into the base of his works, ensuring authenticity and linking each piece to his legacy. He primarily used local woods, which not only grounded his work in Swedish tradition but also imbued each troll with a connection to the natural world.

Collecting Brask’s Trolls

Bengt Brask passed away at the age of 77 on 18 November 1985 in Bromma, Stockholm, Sweden.

For collectors and enthusiasts, each figure offers a glimpse into the artist’s soul. Examine them closely to appreciate the craftsmanship that was developed over a lifetime of carving trolls.

About the Author

Growing up in South Africa, Dayne Skolmen discovered his passion for writing articles in his early twenties. He enjoys exploring the lives of fascinating individuals, uncovering intriguing places, and investigating collectible vintage items. Now residing in Norway, many of his articles draw inspiration from the country’s rich art and culture landscape. Each piece he writes involves a process of in-depth research, with the discovered details and stories uniquely woven together to create interesting narratives for his readers.

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