Antique French Childs Horse Tricycle

Details

Description

French Antique Child’s Horse Tricycle | 19th Century

An exceptional and highly decorative antique child’s velocipede originating from France and … Read more French Antique Child’s Horse Tricycle | 19th Century

An exceptional and highly decorative antique child’s velocipede originating from France and dating from the 19th century. The piece takes the form of a carved and polychrome wooden horse mounted on a three-wheeled metal frame.

The horse is carved from wood and retains its original light-coloured polychrome finish, with painted details to the face, mane and hooves. The construction is complemented by decorative openwork metal elements, large spoked wheels, pedals and handlebars with wooden grips. The original leather saddle has also been preserved.

The mechanism remains functional – the pedals drive the tricycle, meaning that despite its considerable age, the piece retains its original function as well as its strong decorative and sculptural character.

The object is preserved in its original, unrestored condition, with an attractive patina developed over many decades. There is visible wear and loss to the polychrome finish, cracking and localised losses to the wood, corrosion to the metal components, as well as damage around the saddle and stirrup areas. The condition is shown in detail in the photographs.

A striking and rarely encountered collector’s piece combining the character of an antique toy, traditional craftsmanship and a highly unusual decorative object.

Details

Origin: France
Period: 19th century
Materials: Polychrome wood, metal, leather
Mechanism: Functional

Dimensions

88 × 82 × 58 cm

Condition

Original, unrestored condition with significant age-related wear and traces of use. Please refer to the photographs for details. See less