Swedish Birch Bark Trinket Box, Tine or Tina / All Original

Antiques : Folk Art : Birch Box

 

Sweetpea Cottage has located a terrific old box made from several layers of birch bark. Possibly serving as a trinket box or snuff box, this type of box frequently comes from Scandinavia, either Sweden or Norway, but is also associated with the woodland areas of Maine and Minnesota. It is all original and is in good condition with the exception of the birch bark handle with has been lost from the lid. The bark was soaked and, while wet, wrapped around a form to create the shape. Once dried, it was removed from the form and a solid wood bottom was attached with small brads. Two flaps are used to also to keep the box from unwrapping and they are held in place with two small wooden pins. The lid consists of several layers of bark, cut to shape and attached to a wood blank with brads. The bark is sculpted in a series of graphic designs to add interest to the piece. On the front side, the word Sunne is incised into the bark. Sunne is a town in Sweden. Most likely this box was made as a souvenir and was brought to this country in the early part of the 20th century. Whoever made this piece clearly knew what he or she was doing as it is a well made piece.

The maximum length of the piece measures as 6 inches from one end of the box to the other end. The total width is 4 inches and the height is a total of 3 inches. It has a terrific golden brown patina that only comes with years of handling. The lid still fits snugly as was originally intended. There appears to be a surface coat of finish, probably shellac, that covers the sides and top. Look closely at the photos and enlarge them using the Ruby Lane enlargement function. You will see how terrific this box is.

If you collect Scandinavian folk art, Norwegian or Swedish bent wood boxes, or primitive folk art items, then this is a piece that you do not want to miss. You can buy with confidence from Sweetpea Cottage. We stand behind everything that we sell. If you wish to return your purchase for any reason, simply notify us by email of your intentions within 3 days of receiving the item. We then ask that you return it to us in its original condition in a timely fashion. At that time we will refund the full purchase price minus any shipping charges. Shipping for this box is $8.00 which includes Priority shipping and insurance for the full price of the box.

Item ID: AntBBB-106