All photographs were taken by the author with permission from The Hermitage Museum & Gardens.
“HANDWORK at the Hermitage” Special Exhibition Poster
“Before all else, decoration should be applied to something functional.”
Five Small Metal Sculptures
Living Room Connected to a Pipe Organ Performance Room
A Wooden Sculpture Attached to the Corner of Ceiling
Two Figurine-Like Sculptures by a Window Exposed to Lafayette River, Norfolk, Virginia
Florence Sloane, One of the Founders of The Hermitage (with Her Husband William Sloane)
Charles J. Woodsend, Master Craftsman of The Hermitage
Charles J. Woodsend (1847–1927)
Charles James Woodsend was an English-born architect, builder, woodcarver, and skilled craftsman whose work became an integral part of the architectural character of The Hermitage Museum & Gardens in Norfolk, Virginia. He was born in London in September 1847 and came to the United States in 1868. After periods in Boston, Ontario, and Michigan, he moved to Norfolk County, Virginia, in 1887 and eventually settled in Berkley. A historical biographical account published around 1900 described him as both an architect and builder and an “expert artisan.”
Woodsend was not simply a craftsman who executed designs created by others. He was a technically accomplished practitioner of woodworking who also wrote about his craft. In 1897, he published Practical Wood Carving: A Simple Treatise on the Rudiments of Wood Carving, an 86-page illustrated manual intended to teach the fundamental principles and techniques of wood carving. He also contributed technical articles to Carpentry and Building; for example, his 1901 article “Making Wood Patterns” demonstrates his detailed knowledge of woodworking techniques and construction.
His most enduring legacy, however, is associated with William and Florence Sloane and The Hermitage. The Hermitage Museum & Gardens identifies Woodsend (1847–1927), together with Swedish craftsman Karl von Rydingsvärd (1863–1941), as one of the principal woodcarvers whose distinctive techniques and artistic styles shaped the mansion’s carved walls, halls, and furnishings.
The relationship appears to have begun with the construction of the Sloanes’ first home and continued for more than two decades. Historical accounts describe Woodsend as working on the Hermitage premises for over twenty years, hand-carving and installing intricate interior paneling. He also worked with other craftsmen, including Karl von Rydingsvärd and M. F. McCarthy, as the Sloanes repeatedly expanded and transformed the house.
One particularly interesting aspect of Woodsend’s story is the connection between craftsmanship and knowledge. He was simultaneously a maker and a writer. His hands transformed wood into architectural art, while his publications attempted to transmit the knowledge of that craft to others. In this respect, Woodsend represents something that is highly relevant to the relationship between knowledge, technology, creativity, and human intelligence.
Charles J. Woodsend was more than a woodcarver at The Hermitage. He was a craftsman who turned knowledge into material form—using the intelligence of the hand to transform wood into architecture, and the written word to transmit his craft to the next generation.
This makes him particularly valuable as a figure in your Hermitage essay: Florence Sloane collected and preserved cultural memory; Woodsend physically created part of the cultural environment in which that memory survives. One collected civilization; the other carved it into wood.
Charles J. Woodsend (1847–1927)
찰스 제임스 우드센드 (Charles James Woodsend)는 영국에서 태어난 건축가이자 건축업자, 목각 장인, 그리고 숙련된 공예가로서, 그의 작품은 버지니아주 노퍽의 The Hermitage Museum & Gardens의 건축적 성격을 형성하는 데 중요한 역할을 했다. 그는 1847년 9월 런던에서 태어났으며, 1868년에 미국으로 건너왔다. 이후 보스턴, 온타리오, 미시간 등지에서 생활한 뒤 1887년 버지니아주 노퍽 카운티로 이주하여 결국 버클리(Berkley)에 정착했다. 1900년경에 출간된 한 역사적 인물 기록에서는 그를 “건축가이자 건축업자이며 숙련된 장인(expert artisan)”으로 소개하고 있다.
우드센드는 단순히 다른 사람이 설계한 것을 실행하는 기술자에 머물지 않았다. 그는 목공예 분야에서 뛰어난 기술을 갖춘 실천가였으며, 자신의 공예에 관한 지식도 글로 남겼다. 1897년에는 Practical Wood Carving: A Simple Treatise on the Rudiments of Wood Carving을 출간했는데, 이 책은 목각의 기본 원리와 기법을 가르치기 위해 집필된 86쪽 분량의 삽화가 포함된 실용서였다. 또한 그는 Carpentry and Building에도 목공 기술에 관한 글을 기고했다. 그중 1901년에 발표한 “Making Wood Patterns”는 목공 기술과 건축에 대한 그의 세밀한 전문지식을 잘 보여준다.
그러나 그의 가장 오래 지속되는 유산은 William과 Florence Sloane 그리고 The Hermitage와의 관계에서 찾아볼 수 있다. The Hermitage Museum & Gardens는 우드센드 (1847–1927)를 스웨덴 출신 장인 Karl von Rydingsvärd (1863–1941)와 함께, 저택의 조각 장식 벽과 복도, 가구에 독특한 기법과 예술적 양식을 구현한 주요 목각 장인 가운데 한 사람으로 소개하고 있다.
우드센드와 Sloane 부부의 인연은 그들이 처음 지은 주택의 건축 과정에서 시작된 것으로 보이며, 이후 20년이 넘도록 이어졌다. 역사적 기록에 따르면 우드센드는 20년 이상 The Hermitage에서 작업하면서, 정교한 실내 패널을 직접 조각하고 설치했다. 그는 Karl von Rydingsvärd와 M. F. McCarthy를 비롯한 다른 장인들과도 함께 작업했으며, Sloane 부부가 저택을 여러 차례 확장하고 변화시키는 과정에서 중요한 역할을 담당했다.
우드센드의 이야기가 특히 흥미로운 이유 가운데 하나는 장인정신과 지식의 관계에 있다. 그는 동시에 ‘만드는 사람’이자 ‘기록하는 사람’이었다. 그의 손은 나무를 건축예술로 변화시켰으며, 그의 저술은 그러한 공예 지식을 다음 세대에 전달하려는 시도였다. 이러한 점에서 우드센드는 지식, 기술, 창의성, 그리고 인간 지능의 관계를 생각하게 하는 매우 의미 있는 인물이다.
찰스 J. 우드센드는 The Hermitage의 단순한 목각 장인이 아니었다. 그는 지식을 물질의 형태로 바꾸어낸 장인이었다. 손의 지혜로 나무를 건축으로 변화시켰으며, 글을 통해 자신의 공예 지식을 다음 세대에 전하고자 했다.
이러한 점에서 우드센드는 The Hermitage를 이해하는 데 매우 중요한 인물이다. Florence Sloane이 문화적 기억을 수집하고 보존했다면, Woodsend는 그 기억이 살아남을 수 있는 물리적 문화공간의 일부를 자신의 손으로 만들어냈다. 한 사람은 문명을 수집했고, 다른 한 사람은 그 문명을 나무에 새겨 넣었다.
Various Wood Crafting Tools Used by Charles J. Woodsend
Woodcraft I
Woodcraft II
Stained Glass
Carved, Gilt Italianate Frame by Karl von Rydingsvärd, 1920
Karl Arthur von Rydingsvärd (1863–1941)
Karl Arthur von Rydingsvärd was a Swedish American furniture maker, woodcarver, designer, and educator who was born on November 22, 1863, in Färgelanda, Dalsland, Sweden, and immigrated to the United States in 1883. After studying woodcarving and related crafts at the Royal Technical School in Sweden, he moved to the United States, where he became an important figure in the American Arts and Crafts movement.
After settling in the United States, Rydingsvärd worked primarily in New York and Boston and became associated with prominent furniture and interior-design firms of the period, including Herter Brothers and the A. H. Davenport Company. He developed a distinguished reputation not only as a skilled furniture maker and decorative woodcarver but also as an educator in woodcarving. He taught woodcarving and related crafts at institutions such as the Rhode Island School of Design and the Horace Mann School of Teachers College, as well as at other educational institutions in New York. He was also an advocate of expanding opportunities for women to study woodworking and participate in professional craft activities.
His artistic style combined the Scandinavian decorative tradition with the principles of the Arts and Crafts movement. His work frequently incorporated decorative motifs drawn from Scandinavian and Norse culture, including Viking ships, dragons, and elements of Norse mythology. Like many Arts and Crafts craftsmen of his time, he emphasized the natural character and grain of wood and valued the process of making by hand over mechanical mass production. His furniture was also known for its use of traditional woodworking joinery, including pegs and tenons, rather than relying heavily on glue or nails.
Rydingsvärd also had an important connection with The Hermitage. According to official materials from The Hermitage Museum & Gardens, Charles J. Woodsend and Karl von Rydingsvärd were among the principal woodcarvers whose distinctive techniques and artistic styles contributed to the carved walls, halls, and furnishings of the mansion. In particular, the dining-room furniture at The Hermitage is attributed to Rydingsvärd.
There is, however, an interesting qualification concerning whether Rydingsvärd personally traveled to Norfolk to carry out the work. In an oral-history interview preserved by the Smithsonian Archives of American Art, Lela Marshall Hine explained that Woodsend worked on the dining room and much of the paneling, while the dining-room furniture was the work of Karl von Rydingsvärd. Hine added, “I don’t think he ever came to Norfolk.” Therefore, rather than stating categorically that Rydingsvärd personally executed all of the woodworking at The Hermitage on site, it is more accurate to say that furniture and decorative elements designed or crafted by him became part of the Hermitage, while his artistic influence contributed to the mansion’s distinctive Arts and Crafts character.
Another important part of Rydingsvärd’s legacy was education. He regarded woodcarving not merely as a decorative technique but as an educational practice capable of developing observation, creativity, discipline, and craftsmanship. He taught students at various schools and craft institutions and actively encouraged women to study woodcarving and pursue professional craft activities. Through such efforts, he helped expand the Arts and Crafts movement beyond an aesthetic style into a philosophy of “making as education”—the idea that human beings can develop their abilities and character through the act of making things with their hands.
One of the most fascinating aspects of Rydingsvärd’s life was the combination of three identities: craftsman, artist, and educator. He not only carved wood but also transmitted his knowledge and skills to succeeding generations and contributed articles on woodcarving techniques and design to craft-related publications. In 1904, he exhibited representative examples of handmade arts and crafts at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, and he continued to participate in important art and craft exhibitions thereafter.
Rydingsvärd died on May 2, 1941, in Portland, Maine. His second wife, Ida von Rydingsvärd, was also a distinguished woodcarver, and the two exhibited their work together. His legacy therefore extends beyond individual objects and buildings. Through his craftsmanship, teaching, writing, and commitment to handmade work, Karl von Rydingsvärd helped preserve a central ideal of the Arts and Crafts movement: that the human hand is not merely a tool for producing objects, but also an instrument through which knowledge, creativity, and culture are transmitted from one generation to the next.
Karl Arthur von Rydingsvärd (1863–1941)
Karl Arthur von Rydingsvärd는 1863년 11월 22일 스웨덴 Dalsland의 Färgelanda에서 태어나 1883년 미국으로 이주한 스웨덴계 미국인 가구 제작자, 목각가, 디자이너, 교육자였다. 그는 스웨덴에서 Royal Technical School에서 목각과 관련된 기술을 익힌 뒤 미국으로 건너왔으며, 미국의 Arts and Crafts movement에서 중요한 역할을 담당했다.
미국에 정착한 뒤 그는 New York과 Boston을 중심으로 활동했으며, Herter Brothers와 A. H. Davenport Company 등 당대의 저명한 가구·인테리어 관련 업체와 연결되어 전문적인 가구 제작과 장식 목각을 발전시켰다. 이후 그는 단순한 제작자를 넘어 목각 교육자로도 큰 명성을 얻었다. 그는 Rhode Island School of Design, Teachers College의 Horace Mann School, New York의 여러 교육기관 등에서 목각과 공예를 가르쳤으며, 남성뿐 아니라 여성들에게도 목공예 교육의 기회를 적극적으로 제공했다.
그의 예술적 특징은 Scandinavian decorative tradition과 Arts and Crafts 정신의 결합이었다. 그의 작품에는 바이킹 선박, 용, 북유럽 신화 등 Scandinavian과 Norse 문화에서 가져온 장식적 모티프가 자주 등장했다. 또한 당시 Arts and Crafts 장인들이 중시했던 것처럼 나무의 자연스러운 결을 살리고, 기계적인 대량생산보다 인간의 손으로 제작하는 과정을 중요하게 여겼다. 그의 가구는 접착제나 못에 의존하기보다 전통적인 목공 결구법인 peg와 tenon 등을 사용하는 것으로도 알려져 있다.
그는 The Hermitage와도 깊은 관계를 맺었다. The Hermitage Museum & Gardens의 공식 자료에 따르면, Charles J. Woodsend와 Karl von Rydingsvärd는 저택의 carved walls, halls, and furnishings에 독특한 기법과 예술적 양식을 구현한 주요 목각 장인들이다. 특히 Hermitage의 식당 가구는 Rydingsvärd가 주문 제작한 것으로 기록되어 있다.
흥미로운 점은 Rydingsvärd가 실제로 Norfolk에 와서 작업했는지에 대해서는 주의가 필요하다는 것이다. Smithsonian Archives of American Art의 Lela Marshall Hine 구술사 자료에서는 Woodsend가 식당과 상당 부분의 패널을 작업한 반면, 식당 가구는 Karl von Rydingsvärd의 작품이라고 설명하면서, Hine은 “I don’t think he ever came to Norfolk”라고 증언한다. 따라서 그가 The Hermitage의 모든 목공을 현장에서 직접 제작했다고 단정하기보다는, 그가 제작·설계한 가구와 장식 요소가 Hermitage에 들어왔으며 그의 예술적 영향이 저택의 Arts and Crafts character를 형성했다고 하겠다.
Rydingsvärd의 또 다른 중요한 유산은 교육이다. 그는 목각을 단순한 장식 기술이 아니라 인간의 관찰력과 창의성을 훈련하는 교육적 수단으로 보았다. 그는 여러 학교와 공예기관에서 학생들을 가르쳤고, 여성들이 목각을 배우고 전문적인 공예 활동에 참여하는 것을 적극적으로 장려했다. 이러한 활동은 Arts and Crafts 운동을 단순한 미적 양식이 아니라 “making as education”, 즉 만드는 행위 자체를 통한 인간의 성장이라는 철학으로 확장시켰다.
그의 생애에서 특히 흥미로운 것은 장인·예술가·교육자라는 세 역할이 하나로 결합되어 있었다는 점이다. 그는 나무를 조각했을 뿐 아니라 자신의 지식과 기술을 다음 세대에 가르쳤고, 여러 공예 관련 잡지에 목각 기법과 디자인에 관한 글도 기고했다. 1904년 St. Louis에서 열린 Louisiana Purchase Exposition에서는 handmade arts and crafts의 대표 작품을 출품했으며, 이후에도 여러 주요 미술·공예 전시회에 지속적으로 참여했다.
그는 1941년 5월 2일 Maine주 Portland에서 세상을 떠났으며, 그의 두 번째 부인 Ida von Rydingsvärd 역시 뛰어난 목각가였다. 두 사람은 함께 작품을 전시하기도 했다.
Small Wooden Holy Statue, Karl von Rydingsvärd
References
HERITAGE Museum & Gardens: https://thehermitagemuseum.org/about/
The Sloane Collection: https://thehermitagemuseum.org/the-sloane-collection/
Prof. Dr. Young Choi (Editor in Chief) — Regent University
Young B. Choi is a Professor in the Department of Engineering & Computer Science at Regent University. He published 38 books with ‘Selected Readings in Cybersecurity’ (2018) (over 800 copies archived globally at university/college libraries around the world) and ‘Cybersecurity Applications and Artificial Intelligence’ (2023) available in seven major world languages. He proposed the world’s first global and universal telecommunications “Service Order Handling (SOH)” Model (T-SOH Model) (1995) with Dr. Adrian Tang. With this innovative research work, he received the IEEE NOMS ’96 Best Paper Award and became the first recipient of the Outstanding Contribution Award of the TeleManagement Forum in 1998. His research areas include Natural Language Processing-focused AI, AI-applied cybersecurity, network and telecom service management, and Korean studies on Gani Choi Rip’s Jeonggwan (靜觀: Quiet Contemplation) philosophy and Shilhak ( 實學: Practical Learning).
© K-GSP (K-Global Scholars and Professionals) Forum. All rights reserved. 2026.
Suggested Citation:
Choi, Y. B. (2026, September 11). Handwork at The Hermitage: The Sloan Collection of The Hermitage in Norfolk, Virginia. K-GSP.