A Pair of Late 19th Century Folk Art Painted Wooden Money Boxes
SOLD
Origin: English
Period: Late Nineteenth Century
Provenance: Unknown
Date: c.1880
Height: 7 inches
Diameter: 2.25 inches
Coin Slots: Grenadier: 2 inches, Guard: 1.5 inches
Two charming turned wooden figures, of cylindrical form, both naively painted in yellow, black, and red; one painted as an Irish Guard, the other a Scottish Grenadier, with rather outlandish bearskin hat. There are few light surface scratches, and some rubbing to the face of the Guard, but for folk art pieces the painting on these two money boxes is in very good order. At the back of each figure is a slot for coins, and at the base are metal doors, though they are both without keys.
Pieces of folk art are ephemeral, simple, and often crude, though they are always enchanting. They were made by unskilled people, usually provincially, for everyday use and enjoyment, and are naively decorated, and made of basic materials.
Folk art provides an excellent insight into the everyday life of ordinary people in times of old, and for that reason we love it!