Rare 1829 Swedish Mora Clock by Anders Fredrik Modig - Leksand Style, Single-Hand, 100% Original Paint

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A signed and dated Swedish longcase clock from Leksand, Dalarna — and a rare survival of early 19th-century folk belief … Read more A signed and dated Swedish longcase clock from Leksand, Dalarna — and a rare survival of early 19th-century folk belief made tangible. Carved into the crown of the bonnet, visible only when the clock door is open, is a hand-incised hexfoil rosette: a traditional Dalarna protective symbol, placed there by the craftsman as a spiritual seal against misfortune. This is not decoration — in Swedish allmoge tradition, these hidden marks were acts of intention, carved into the most valued objects a family owned to guard them against evil and fire. That this mark survives, untouched, after nearly 200 years, tells you everything about the condition of this clock.
The case bears the painted inscription "Målat år 1829" — painted in the year 1829 — in calligraphic script on the neck, flanked by arrow ornaments. The clock face is signed by the maker: And-Fri Modig, Leksand — Anders Fredrik Modig, a documented clockmaker working in Leksand during the early 19th century. Both the case painter's date and the clockmaker's name are present and legible — a combination that places this piece among the most traceable examples of Swedish folk art clockmaking.
The hourglass-form pine case retains its complete original rosmålning decoration: a rich symmetrical kurbits composition on the waist in ochre, green, and dark brown over a warm bordeaux ground, with sponge-painted surfaces on the hood and lower body, and blue-painted profile moldings throughout. The paint shows minor lifting in places — entirely expected and unrestored after nearly 200 years, and the very evidence that no one has touched it.
The single brass hand is original — the single-hand configuration is found only on the earliest Mora-region clocks, before the two-hand mechanism became standard. Original glass, pendulum, weights, and wood movement are all present and complete. Movement untested — offered as a decorative piece. Never converted to battery or quartz. See less