MURPHY, N.C. — The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the theft of three wood carvings from a residence here.

German wood carving of two fauns features a carved mountain landscape with three trees and measures approximately 4 feet long by about 2 feet high and about 3-4 inches thick.

The owner describes the items as “not all that valuable, but dear to me.”

One is a bear bench bought in the United State and intricately carved. It has a small chip taken out of the ear of one of the bears, which the owner said he believes is the bear on the left as one looks at the bench. There is a crack running lengthwise on at least one if not both the bears directly in the middle of the bear from its head to foot.

Wood carving depicting the European 30 Years War.

Another is a roughly 20-by-20-inch wood carving depicting the European 30 Years War. It is described as having come off a secretary desk or something like it and has a skeleton key hole at the very top center of the frame. The back is lined with green felt as a writing surface. The dealer in Germany where the owner purchased it said it was probably 150 years old.

A wood carving of two fauns also came from Germany and shows the fauns on a carved mountain landscape with three trees colored a dark green. There is a tree on each side of the fauns and one in the middle between them. The piece measures approximately 4 feet long by about 2 feet high and about 3–4 inches thick. It is quite heavy, but has two hangers on the back, which perhaps allowed someone to hang it on the wall, although it sits on a base that allows it to stand, as it did on the owner’s mantel. There are several cracks running width wise up and down the piece due to age.

Bear bench has a small chip taken out of the ear of one of the bears.

Detective Joe Wood is investigating this theft. He can be reached at 828 835-4149. Case # is 16-11789.