Wondering what I have if anything. Nice carved wood piece made into coat hanger.

To me this looks like maybe it’s off of a piece of furniture and made into a coat rack? Or meant to be coat rack all along? I have just an itsy sliver of knowledge in furniture, if that. I thought Jacobean revival or Java when I saw it but I only know enough to sound like I know nothing. Two very different styles obviously. It’s in horrible condition but I couldn’t leave it at the thrift store. Employee told me it came out of a witches house in one of the most historically important towns in the USA. Not that the story matters but it’s a good one! It’s been glued, screwed, and brewed to keep it one piece. I like the carving either way!

 

Hmmmmm, it looks like Frisian carving, which is Dutch in origin, not sure though. Let's ask @Any Jewelry , she should know.

 

LOL, LOVE the story, even if untrue!
While we wait on AJ, to see if it is Frisian, either Dutch or an immigrant to america, that "coat rack" modification is going to really hurt it's value.

 

Ah yes. That could be!

 

Love the carving, but the coat rack conversion looks very painful.
It looks like a panel from a chest, Frisian as James said.
Something like this, which is smaller:



https://www.hartantiques.com/nl/Meubelen/Dozen/Antieke-Eiken-Kerfsnee-Kist

 

It was definitely painful, poor thing barely made it out alive! Thanks for the ID! Any speculation to age? Nails which may or may not have been original didn’t seem too old.

 

My guess is 17th-18th, but @James Conrad may have to correct me.

 

Oh boy!!!! To be honest i don't know with photos provided, hold on a sec.
Here we are! it was UPSIDE DOWN! I cropped, flipped and enlarged, so now we can actually see it WAS a Frisian Box, now a fragment of a box that has been mutilated , I'll guess 18th century. I think is is old.

click to enlarge

 

James, won't the coats drop off this way (in spite of the tag and shadows)? Or was that you intention, so it wouldn't be a coat rack anymore and could be restored to its former beauty?

 

LOL, Well yeah, the coats are in some trouble with my photo shopping, no doubt!
I was just trying to orient it so i could actually know/see what it was!
It's an early Frisian Box that has lived a very hard life.

 

Yayyyyyy that was my hope all along. I didn’t want to announce it and look like an idiot but that’s why it came home.

Edit: I know I said maybe revival but my real hope was that it was that old. Wanted to make a conservative guess though!

 

It’s really cool that someone made the effort to save this piece of the box no matter how rough! Knowing that it came out of the town it did I figured there was a chance it was indeed that old. Thanks for helping on this one!

 

The reality is, as a fragment, it wasn't worth a lot without the "coat rack" thingy, my guess is someone decided to turn it into a "make-do" type project.
Still, it is early Frisian carving so as a thrift shop buy, YOU SCORED! in my view.

 

Absolutely! Didn’t buy this one with hopes of it being worth too much. Absolutely about the cool factor and mystery. I was imagining it having come over on a boat and living in town through its fascinating history. The last chapter of its life supposedly holding a witches robes was a bonus after sticking it under my arm lol. With that said if I weave a good enough story I bet I could probably find a buyer at a number that would make it worth it.

 

Sounds like it came out of Salem, Mass.

Very interesting conversation piece!

 

I realized I did unintentionally make it sound like that was probably the case. It was actually another historically important town in that neck. More important actually. I just try not to publicize where exactly I am. Although in the midst of a late night ebey/marketplace listing binge I once was making a post here. I was so tired and out of it that I ended my post the same way I end my FB marketplace listings “pickup is in _____, can ship or deliver for a fee”. I imagine people here thought I was trying to sell whatever it was here.

 

I’ve been assuming they meant the last owner was a witch. Maybe they meant an owner long ago was a witch...I’ll have to ask if they know what the story is supposed to be next time there.

 

No dimensions were given but, this may indeed be a small chest or a large box OR a SPOON RACK! In looking at enlarged right side up again photo, it is clearly early Frisian carving, i wonder what the wood species is which could go a long way in determining, from the Netherlands or USA?

 

Back to photo shop thingy again! It looks like it could be tulip poplar, is it can you tell?
If it is poplar, then your fragment is American, no doubt.

Click to enlarge

 

I would note that American carved Frisian Spoon Racks are HIGHLY collectible and rare, when one comes on the market they almost ALWAYS go for BIG money, like 10s of thousands of dollars.
I would add that most of the Dutch immigrant spoon racks known are from the New York/ New Jersey area as the Dutch have been there since the early 17th century.