Val Gardena is the cradle of wood carving. Ortisei seems to combine the ideal conditions an artist needs to create a real masterpiece: a wonderful landscape and a deep tradition. The first famous wood carvers in Val Gardena were the families Trebinger and Vinazer in 1600. They studied in Venice, Bressanone, Rome and Vienna. A milestone for the Val Gardena wood carving tradition is the Ortisei Art School, founded 126 years ago. Nevertheless wood carvers and painters learned first of all at home, at their family's atelier. You find us in Ortisei, str. Roma 77, where we produce masterpieces in wood and bronze. All our works are provided with the trademark of the Chamber of Commerce of Bolzano. It's the guarantee that all the wood carvings are completely hand-crafted. A representative of the Chamber of Commerce controls the wood carving two times: at the beginning and shortly before the conclusion of the work. Ferdinando Perathoner started as a wood carver in his own atelier in 1890. On request, we produce completely hand carved statues for churches and private persons. You find our masterpieces all over the world in 25 different countries.
Sculptures made out of wood or bronze give to the sacred space a special depth. We do not use any cheap materials like resin, plastic or plaster. It's very important to us that there are exposed authentic sculptures in churches. Liturgical and sacral music, too, should be performed live and not as a reproduction on CDs. Sculptures produced in series have a commercial value only and do not transmit any emotions. Natural materials, like wood, entail the secret of live and the symbol of the human being. People open themselves to the secret by the help of paintings and sculptures, but those must be deep and significant. Sacral sculptures fill the sacred space and interpret sacral drama in the form of great hope.
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The Sacred Art establishes a relationship with transcendence, in this way the visible can return a trace of the Invisible. This is a goal Ferdinand Perathoner wants to achieve with their works of sacred art carved entirely by hand.