Edward Maene

"The finest examples of hand-carved wood in this country."

Edward Maene was born in Bruges, Belgium on April 21, 1852. After mastering the stone and woodcarving trade in his native Belgium and studying in Paris, he arrived in the United States in 1881. By 1883 he had established himself in Philadelphia, and for the next fifty years his downtown workshops on Locust Street and Hutchinson Street produced some of the most extraordinary hand-crafted ecclesiastical and domestic woodwork ever made in America.

His talented workmanship and intricate hand-crafted detail resulted in some of the finest Gothic furniture ever made in the United States. In addition to creating exquisitely carved furniture for wealthy turn-of-the-century industrialists, Maene designed and produced incredibly beautiful stonework — which can be seen today in historic Philadelphia — from St. Mark's Church (great doors of the Parish) to St. Clement's Episcopal Church (high altar, Lady Chapel, pulpit, Stations of the Cross) to the University of Pennsylvania (four towers, Spanish-American War memorial).

He is perhaps best known for his elegant hand-carved oak artistry in the George Washington Memorial Chapel at Valley Forge, completed in 1913 — choir stalls, screens, and Valley Forge Brigades recognized as the finest examples of hand-carved wood in the United States.

Maene's nephew John apprenticed with his uncle, then went on to serve as foreman in Will Price's Rose Valley furniture shop. In the short time Rose Valley's shop was operational, Edward produced much of the Rose Valley furniture from his downtown workshops. Historians have indicated that the elaborate Harrison Shakespeare Folio Cabinet was likely made in Edward Maene's shop. Although unconfirmed, it is also believed that Mr. Maene may have collaborated with Daniel Pabst on his highly recognized Modern Gothic furniture creations.

Both his daughter Clara M. Maene (who married Dr. John Partrick O'Brien) and his son Victor Albert Maene (who married Emma V. Gillespie) worked alongside their father. The family continues to hold Rose Valley furniture descended from Edward Maene and a metal name stamp — E.Maene — from the Rose Valley workshop.

Edward Maene died on December 4, 1931, of Angina Pectoris. He is buried with his wife Susanne Maengaux (1856 – October 6, 1916) in the Old Pennypack Cemetery, Bustleton, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania.