Mystery Vintage Galloping Red Horse Objet d'Art of Possible Carnival Fairground Origin

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Description

We spent considerable effort to conclude what this piece might be, and as to the origin of its formation; and … Read more We spent considerable effort to conclude what this piece might be, and as to the origin of its formation; and we tried to extract any information from experts in the field, as to its possible purpose and historical link, but all to no avail and solid determination.

What we think it could have been is a salesman sample of a fairground carnival ride. That's one legitimate and educated guess. Or it could have been a prototype of a would be toy. Or a one-off object a craftsman made as a Folk Art Objet d'Art. What we are trying to get at is that we, and all persons of knowledge whom we consulted with, could not reach a definitive conclusion.

But then we thought to ourselves: do we need a conclusion? And do we need to solve the puzzle? Or is its enigmatic existence part of its worth; and its mystery part of its glory? Why not let the mystery remain a mystery... And what we ought to focus on is what this majestic piece evokes in us. We think that is the winning prize of this piece.

And so, what it evokes in us is much! Because for us it stirred memories of childhood, and the joy of those early years of our lives, where we frequented visits to fairgrounds and the circus and spend the summer hours in fables and the Arabian Nights. It also reminded us of the amble imagination we had as young ones, that we tend to lose as adults. It also reminded us the joy of stories, and those family members that were good at tale telling, as they sat us in front of the fire and brightening the eyes or our hearts and thoughts... Is that not enough?

We say it's enough... but then again we still have the piece its self in our hands. And so, though memories and imagination are wonderful yet we also get to enjoy a remarkable object. We get to feast visually on it, touch its wonderful craftsmanship, be moved by its color and subject matter, and play around with it.

So what we do have physically in our hands is a wonderful galloping horse with a wooden body and metal legs and hoofs. And it's painted our favorite firetruck red. And that handle of course just brings in all the mystery we spoke about. The last joyful element we have in this horse is the two different patinas it holds on its sides. On the one side the paint is more solid but if you turn it around it's more distressed. Each is beautiful in its own way and what we adored, in addition to everything else we spoke about. But for now this story has to come to The End.

Circa: Early 20th Century
Condition: Consistent with age and wear
Dimensions: 24" W x 1 1/2" D x 17" H See less