SALE 18th Century Scandinavian Pantry Box, Folk Art Carved Design

Antiques : Folk Art : Carved Pantry Box

 

Sweetpea Cottage is offering a beautifully carved Scandinavian bentwood box. Made from solid pine that has been steam bent, both the box and lid are wonderfully decorated with some of the finest carving that we have seen on a box of this type. Probably of Scandinavian origin, it has many of the characteristics of boxes made in Norway and Sweden, often known as tina, tine, or svepask. It does not have the classic Norwegian locking lid, but it does have the traditional style of construction including birch root lacing often used in Norway. Using traditional wooden pegs for most of the construction there are a few small nails replacing some pegs that worked loose over the years. Shrinkage cracks are evident on the top and the bottom where the boards have separated on the joinery lines. Within each split square hand-cut wooden pegs are evident. There is a splinter of wood missing at the front, directly under the lacing. (See photos) Some of the lacing is missing, and a very small section of lacing has been replaced. The replaced lace appears to be the same material used for the original lacing, but the lacing pattern differs slightly. Because of the shrinkage the bottom and top no longer fit tightly into the sides, but they are in no danger of falling out. It shows normal wear with small amounts of dirt, discolorations, and worn spots. The lid measures over 14 inches across and the bottom of the box measures 13 3/4 inches across. It stands slightly over 6 inches high.

The design is complex and primarily floral in motif. Most of the design has been carved into the wood using a fine-tipped veining chisel. Some of the design appears to have been created by hammering a die into the wood. A marvelous rich patina has developed with time and use. Look closely at the photos to appreciate the beautiful workmanship that went into this piece. The box is impressive and with the scale of the design it is an item for the most discriminating collector, worthy of any museum collection specializing in folk art.

Sweetpea Cottage absolutely stands behind everything that we sell. If you are not pleased with your purchase, for any reason, then it can be returned for a full refund of the purchase price minus shipping charges. Simply notify us within 3 days of receiving your purchase that you intend to return it. Once it is returned to us in a timely fashion in original condition, then we will refund your money. The shipping charges on this item will be $24 which will include insurance for the total purchase price. We will only accept PayPal as the method of payment for international purchases.

We will do a layaway for this item, if requested. Read our “Terms of Sale” for details, or send us an email if you are interested.

Item ID: AntTB-182