LOT #25213 |
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Spectacular, Hand-carved Folk Art Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus Train An awesome project which surely would tak...
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Sold on Jun 22, 2005 for:
$8,050.00
Bid Source: Internet bidder
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Description
Spectacular, Hand-carved Folk Art Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus Train An awesome project which surely would take a skilled craftsman the better part of a year of devoted labor to complete! Some 20 feet long when displayed in its entirety. Individual wagons (not counting horses) are 12" to 21" in length, and average 10" to 11" in height. A few small components are canvas or metal, but these wagons are almost entirely of wood, hand-carved and painted with astonishing detail. Most striking are the two band wagons, each carrying a full compliment of musicians with their tiny hand-carved instruments, and one decorated with a terrific American Indian theme. It is impossible to do justice to this work with catalog photos. We encourage anyone with serious interest to refer to the images on our web site, where each piece can be appreciated in greater detail. The hand of the artist is unfortunately not known, nor is the precise purpose for which it was created. During the winter hiatus when the circus went into "hibernation," employees often wiled away the time with wood-carving, and sometimes they sold their work as souvenirs to tourists. This would seem like an awfully ambitious work for such a purpose, but there were many idle hours for circus folk during those long winter breaks. Obviously it is a unique item, possibly for some sort of special display or possibly created simply as a tour-de-force by the carver. It is difficult to date with certainty. Long experience with objects convinces us that it is definitely "old," with minor wear and aging and fine old dust deposits. The solid panels on the sides of most of the wagons seem to be taken from wood crates. The inside of one still bears the name, "Cooper Cheese," and is of a style that suggest the 1910-1930 era. Our instinct is to guess that it was made late in the first quarter of the twentieth century or during the second quarter, but this is just an educated surmise. A wonderful acquisition for the folk art or circus collector, it is especially nice as it is marked, "Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey," whose related collectibles are particularly prized.Auction Info
2005 June Political Memorabilia & Americana Auction #625 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
June, 2005
22nd-23rd
Wednesday-Thursday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 9
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 3,445
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
15% of the successful bid per lot.
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