Featured Carved wood shoehorn...

Discussion in 'Antique Discussion' started by DragonflyWink, Oct 31, 2019.

  1. DragonflyWink

    DragonflyWink Well-Known Member

    Not quite sure what to make of this recently acquired piece, if selling, would probably describe it as folk art, but from where? It's rather naively carved from a hard, but lightweight, fine-grained wood, the only similar item I found claims boxwood, and seems reasonable. The woman reminds me of a ship's figurehead, there is a critter on the back of her head that kind of looks to me like a deer or antelope, the seller just said 'animal', the one on the similar item is described as a rabbit, and there are birds carved on each side. There is something vaguely familiar about her, but I'm not really coming up with why, though it does remind me a bit of bone prisoner carvings - seems to have some honest age, but could have just been carved by some '70s hippie...

    Measures about 6.75" long and about 1.75" at its widest (my pics are from my phone, and they look washed out on my laptop, there is actually a a sort of orangish tone to the wood):

    931201902946.jpg

    931201902533.jpg

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    931201902033.jpg




    This is the similar piece (sold on eBay for $52.99 in 2018), no lady on this one, but does look like it might have been the same carver, it's signed 'ATZ', and the sales description is, umm, interesting, firmly stating it's American and 'extremely rare', alludes to a fairy tale, and describes some stuff I'm just not seeing (a platypus - really?):


    shoehorn-bird-3.JPG

    shoehorn-bird-4a.jpg shoehorn-bird-6a.jpg
    shoehorn-bird-7a.jpg

    ~Cheryl
     
    Last edited: Oct 31, 2019
  2. Hollyblue

    Hollyblue Well-Known Member

    Hard to tell what type of wood it is,your piece has been stained.https://www.exoticwood.biz/boxwood.htm I don't think there is any animal in the states that has that type of horns.
     
    scoutshouse and i need help like this.
  3. wiscbirddog

    wiscbirddog Well-Known Member

    I think they are an animal's ears, not horns.
     
  4. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    Amazing piece, Cheryl. It could be either European or North American.
    I agree, there is no platypus on the other one.:confused: Yours looks older to me.
    The animal with the long ears has a bird's beak, maybe a harpey eagle? If so there could be a very flattering connection with the woman.:rolleyes:

    [​IMG]
     
  5. say_it_slowly

    say_it_slowly The worst prison is a closed heart

    I'm wondering if it's supposed to be a horned owl. The lady does look like a ship's prow and could be a mermaid with the bowl/scoop as her tail.

    [​IMG]
     
  6. sabre123

    sabre123 Well-Known Member

  7. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    :jawdrop::jawdrop: Absolutely!:jawdrop::jawdrop:
     
  8. DragonflyWink

    DragonflyWink Well-Known Member


    Hehe, no secrets here, happened on it when doing one of my occasional searches for wooden spoons to add to my collection, and just really liked her, fuzzy pics and all (a very pleasant seller too)...

    Don't believe it's a beak on the critter, though it photographs that way - it's really just a flat spot that it rests on (those look to me like ears that would be found on some kind of mammal).


    So my Mom's birthday was Halloween, and this is the first since her passing, hitting me a bit hard - but then this turned up in an Etsy ad this morning (she was a swan collector): https://www.etsy.com/listing/708281...-spoon-with-swan?show_sold_out_detail=1&frs=1


    ~Cheryl
     
  9. sabre123

    sabre123 Well-Known Member

    That listing will forever be in the bowels of Google's cache. :eek:

    Hoping you can find comfort in all of the fond memories you have of mom on her birthday. :)
     
  10. Bakersgma

    Bakersgma Well-Known Member

    Lovely spoon, Cheryl! A serendipitous find, too.
     
  11. scoutshouse

    scoutshouse Well-Known Member

    Fantastic, Cheryl...

    It has the face of a solemn rodent...
     
  12. DragonflyWink

    DragonflyWink Well-Known Member


    Oh, that made me laugh! And I can see it too - even if I never find the origin of this thing, it is definitely a conversation piece...

    ~Cheryl
     
  13. Aquitaine

    Aquitaine Is What It IS! But NEVER BORED!

    To me both of those 'shoe horns' (?) look like they have birds beaks (even if they're not) and they both look like they have rabbit ears......at least in the pictures.....they HAVE to be by the same carver at different times in his/her life!!!! NICE catch!!!!!
     
  14. DragonflyWink

    DragonflyWink Well-Known Member

    Pretty striking similarities in the two pieces... In hand, it is clearly a shoehorn rather than a scoop, the back-slanted angle perfect, and the handle very comfortable in the hand for that purpose. Suppose it could be a fantasy creature related to the jackalope of the American West (a jackowl, jackeagle, or?), but really do doubt it was intended to be a beak.

    ~Cheryl
     
  15. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    Oh, that is lovely, Cheryl. As my mother used to say, it was meant to be. She would have seen it as a sign from your mother, sent to console you. Maybe it was.:kiss:
     
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