A fine example of a Welsh miniature slate model of a chest of drawers, with a tall backrail or upstand, profusely decorated with concentric circles, squares and lozenges and arched and pinnacled top. The five drawers applied with brass button pulls flanked by quadrant pilasters and panels.
This little model chest would have been made by a Welsh quarryman and reflects his skill and creativity. Often made as gifts for family or for courtship and also for competition in local eisteddfodau, they were used to decorate the homes of their makers and are closely allied to Welsh love spoons, another traditional and distinctive form of Welsh Folk Art. North Wales, circa 1860 - 1880.
23.5 cms wide, 28 cms high, 5 cms deep.
“The Carved Slates of Dyffryn Ogwen ” by Gwenno Caffell, a National Museum of Wales, Cardiff, bilingual publication in 1983.
“People`s Art ” by Emmanuel Cooper, Mainstream Publishing, 1994.
“Welsh Furniture 1250-1950, A Cultural History of Craftsmanship and Design ” by Richard Bebb, Vol. 2 , page 310, fig 1236 and fig 1237, which illustrate two pieces of miniature slate furniture from North Wales.
Storiel Museum and Art Gallery, Bangor.
Museum of Welsh Life, Saint Fagans, Cardiff.
A fine example of a Welsh miniature slate model of a chest of drawers, with a tall backrail or upstand, profusely decorated with concentric circles, squares and lozenges and arched and pinnacled top. The five drawers applied with brass button pulls flanked by quadrant pilasters and panels.
This little model chest would have been made by a Welsh quarryman and reflects his skill and creativity. Often made as gifts for family or for courtship and also for competition in local eisteddfodau, they were used to decorate the homes of their makers and are closely allied to Welsh love spoons, another traditional and distinctive form of Welsh Folk Art. North Wales, circa 1860 - 1880.
23.5 cms wide, 28 cms high, 5 cms deep.
“The Carved Slates of Dyffryn Ogwen ” by Gwenno Caffell, a National Museum of Wales, Cardiff, bilingual publication in 1983.
“People`s Art ” by Emmanuel Cooper, Mainstream Publishing, 1994.
“Welsh Furniture 1250-1950, A Cultural History of Craftsmanship and Design ” by Richard Bebb, Vol. 2 , page 310, fig 1236 and fig 1237, which illustrate two pieces of miniature slate furniture from North Wales.
Storiel Museum and Art Gallery, Bangor.
Museum of Welsh Life, Saint Fagans, Cardiff.
