Thomas Petz

Horn sculptor

Preserving a family legacy

Thomas has revitalised his grandfather’s workshop
His speciality is making classic horn combs
The company also makes jewellery, accessories and fine dining implements

Thomas Petz fell in love with the material of horn as a child. His grandfather Friedrich owned a workshop which has been run by the Petz family for more than 150 years. Visiting his grandparents always meant being allowed to try out the machines and create his first pieces of horn art. Thomas never forgot his fascination for the workshop, the versatility of horn and the passion his grandparents felt towards their profession. After high school and some years of self-discovery, he decided to train with his grandfather, who was the last Austrian master horn comb maker in those days. After Friedrich’s death, Thomas continued learning with his grandmother Eleonore and finally took over the business in 2007.

Interview

How do you prepare the horn?: The cow horn is delivered in its natural shape. My grandfather constructed a special machine to flatten the horn and another one to press it after storing it for months. These precious devices still are the heart of my workshop. The flat horn, pressed into plates, is the base material for my objects.
What’s the greatest difficulty of working with horn?: The major challenge is also the greatest fascination: you never know what will happen to the material until the end result. Horn is a living material with air pockets and hairline cracks. It might be that the whole piece suddenly breaks and you realise all your work was to no avail.
So what's the pay off?: You also never know how splendidly the beauty of that piece of horn will emerge in the end. The shading, with all its nuances, only appears in the last polish. That moment is always the biggest surprise and satisfaction. It is an endless learning process – that’s why my principal inspiration is the material itself.
Tradition or innovation – what’s your main focus?: Honouring my family’s legacy in terms of the skills and the quality of craftsmanship is crucial. Regarding our product range, I love cooperating with contemporary designers to create modern objects from a very traditional material. But the classic horn comb is still my signature product.

Thomas Petz is an expert artisan: he began his career in 2008