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Rare American Folk Art Painted Carved Giraffe Sculpture, Pennsylvania ca. 1850

$9,800
£7,407.67
€8,496.90
CA$13,661.60
A$14,871.77
CHF 7,893.94
MX$178,939.40
NOK 100,026.97
SEK 91,652.97
DKK 63,454.34

About the Item

VERY RARE CARVED AND POLYCHROMED WOOD GIRAFFE PULL TOY Probably Pennsylvania, circa 1850-80 36 5/8" H x 10 1/4" D x 12 1/2" W A rare American folk art pull-toy in the stylized form of a giraffe, the figure is beautifully hand-carved in an austere manner that intentionally flaunts proportion and scale. The carver approaches the exotic animal with a sense of interpretive intuition rather than any applying any technical scales to the creature. In this, the animal becomes almost a thing of dreams, a character from another realm, this cuddly figure perhaps found only in storybooks: a sentiment fully in-line with its objective as a source of joy and food for the imagination of small children. The surface ignores true representation of color and is instead painted in a warm reddish-brown ground with black pitch spots. The body is raised on simple wooden fore-aft axles with four spinning wheels affixed to the stretcher with tapered wooden pins. The abstracted form reflect a distinctly mid-19th century whimsy together with the honest and uncomplicated craftsmanship of rural Pennsylvania makers. A small string harness with tin bells and hand-blown glass beads encircles the body, likely a later addition but evocative of early play traditions. A nearly identical example was sold at Sotheby's, New York (A New Dimension of Tradition: Important American Folk Art, Proceeds of the Sale to Benefit a New Folk Art Initiative at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, January 25 2020, lot 1430) where it was acquired for $ 10,625. That example was in somewhat rougher condition. A very similar giraffe pull-toy is illustrated in Bishop's work on American Folk Sculpture (see below). Literature: Robert Bishop, American Folk Sculpture, E. P. Dutton Co., 1974, p. 352, pl. 661 (similar giraffe pull-toy illustrated) The Pennsylvania German Collection, Beatrice B. Garvan, Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1982 p. 86, pl. 6 Condition: At least two wheels are replaced along with the pins. Repairs to all legs with associated inpainting, back right leg (when giraffe is facing left) with restoration at the hip along with associated inpainting, back left leg with a repaired crack on the inside of the leg. Seam at the neck where the two boards come together. Two wheel axles were re-doweled. The iron bells and beads are probably an addition, though close in period to the giraffe - a portion of the string is replaced. Stable and ready to place. ref. 508PPP17S About silla antiques art Established in 2009, we have available in our 9000 square foot brick-and-mortar gallery an ever-changing selection of carefully curated and catalogued furniture, decorative arts, paintings, sculpture and estate jewelry. Our company has long specialized in sculpture circa 1860 through 1930 and as such the gallery always has a very large collection of exceptional European and American sculpture available on display. The gallery is located at 117 W Burd Street in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania and is open by appointment only. We welcome your visit and would love to meet with you at the shop. For clients located outside of the area, we are always available to discuss items by video conferencing or by phone.
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 36.63 in (93.05 cm)Width: 12.5 in (31.75 cm)Depth: 10.25 in (26.04 cm)
  • Style:
    Victorian (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
    Wood,Hand-Carved,Polychromed
  • Place of Origin:
    United States
  • Period:
    19th Century
  • Date of Manufacture:
    1850-80
  • Condition:
    Repaired: See condition notes. Replacements made: See condition notes.
  • Seller Location:
    Shippensburg, PA
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: 508PPP17S1stDibs: LU1059047045452

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