Folk Art of Europe & Rest of World »
Early 18th cent. Swedish Wooden Mangle
Ref: 2099
A wooden carved hand mangle from Sweden from the early 18th century.
By the Victorian period a hand mangle had become a mere utility object, a wooden bat with ridged tin face, a factory made item purchased at store. In the old and pre-emancipated times the hardships of peasant life were intermingled with ritual and symbolic ideas. At the very least one can say looking at the objects that time has left behind that the wood carver′s art leavened the daily toil.
Such items as this were given as gifts at betrothal or at coming of age and for this reason often dated. They were carefully embellished with horses, sometimes, or abstract designs. This one has chevrons and rosettes and is unusual in that it is very early, being dated 1707. The knob or raised rosette at one end is for gripping and is a recognised baroque decorative detail backing up the inscribed date. The book shown is "Peasant Art in Sweden Lapland and Iceland" in the Studio series published in Edwardian times. It shows various examples of hand mangles from Sweden but none as early as this.
Normally these items can be hung on a wall.
Sweden c.1707
H: 65cm (25.6in)
W: 10cm (3.9in)
D: 8.5cm (3.3in)
SOLD
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