Search 0
48,807  PAGES BROWSED TODAY PAGES TODAY • 170 ANTIQUES UPLOADED TODAYNEW ARRIVALS
Sorted by
Per page
JOIN AS A SELLER DEALER LOGIN
Selling Antiques Logo
0
Saved
GIFTSNEW
170 ITEMS ADDED TODAY
Home
Return
Dealer Login
500+ Shops
Dealers
Newly Added
0
Saved
Antiques dealer?
Join as a Seller
Sort Order
Items Per Page
sellingantiques.co.uk
Browse Categories
Sort order
Relevant Links
Items per page
ID #SA1238174
FOR SALE
£790
Email Phone Buy
Save
Antique Noahs Ark - Including Over 50 Animals and Birds & 4 Figures
For sale by Opus Antiques
for sale €924     $1,003
£790
Opus Antiques

Opus Antiques

Sellingantiques Verified Since Oct 2014
Browse dealers 93 items
  • About Us
    Antique treen, boxes & decorative georgian items
Relevant Links
Id #SA1238174
PDF SHARE
SAVE

Antique Noahs Ark - Including Over 50 Animals and Birds & 4 Figures

1900 - 1920
For Sale by Opus Antiques
Description

This early 1900s painted Noahs Ark comes with over 50 animals and birds and four figures. Most of the animals stand up, there is some chipping of the paint through use. There are a wide range of animals from an  elephant, tigers, a camel, horses, cows, deer, leopards and birds to name a few.

It has a lift up lift for storage along with a drop down side for further storage.

It measures 43cm from tip to tip, 29cm is the width of the main body of the ark x  18cm h.

Noah's Arks were very popular children's toys in the 19th century and most wealthy families would own one, which would be permitted to be played with on a Sunday only!

The majority of Noah's Arks were made in Germany and there were basically three different types. A flat bottom one,  a round bottom one and a bottom in the shape of a boat. The animals went in and out of the ark via either the roof or a sliding side panel, and were decorated by either painting, lithogaphics. 

Noah's Arks were not made by big toy companies but in the main it was a cottage industry with families literally making one or two particular types animals hence the different expressions that can be found on the animals faces. Other families would have built the arks and different families would then been painting and decorating them. If you had a large enough family then maybe the whole ark would be made by the family.

Nowadays these antique treen Folk Art Noah's Arks are very collectible and both the arks and the animals are difficult to find.

Declaration

Opus Antiques has dated this Antique Wooden Noahs Ark to the 1910s.

Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Reference
SA1238174
Dealers Notes

Own a piece of history

Description
This early 1900s painted Noahs Ark comes with over 50 animals and birds and four figures. Most of the animals stand up, there is some chipping of the paint through use.
“
There are a wide range of animals from an  elephant, tigers, a camel, horses, cows, deer, leopards and birds to name a few.
Opus Antiques
fig 1. A hand-painted 19th-century wooden Noahs ark toy with a pitched roof and painted windows, accompanied by carved wooden figures.
fig 1. Antique Noahs Ark - Including Over 50 Animals and Birds & 4 Figures

It has a lift up lift for storage along with a drop down side for further storage.

It measures 43cm from tip to tip, 29cm is the width of the main body of the ark x  18cm h.

Noah's Arks were very popular children's toys in the 19th century and most wealthy families would own one, which would be permitted to be played with on a Sunday only!

fig 2. A hand-painted 19th-century wooden Noahs ark toy with a pitched roof and painted windows, accompanied by carved wooden figures.
fig 2. Antique Noahs Ark - Including Over 50 Animals and Birds & 4 Figures

The majority of Noah's Arks were made in Germany and there were basically three different types. A flat bottom one,  a round bottom one and a bottom in the shape of a boat. The animals went in and out of the ark via either the roof or a sliding side panel, and were decorated by either painting, lithogaphics. 

fig 3. A hand-painted 19th-century wooden Noahs ark toy with a pitched roof and painted windows, accompanied by carved wooden figures.
fig 3. Antique Noahs Ark - Including Over 50 Animals and Birds & 4 Figures

Noah's Arks were not made by big toy companies but in the main it was a cottage industry with families literally making one or two particular types animals hence the different expressions that can be found on the animals faces. Other families would have built the arks and different families would then been painting and decorating them. If you had a large enough family then maybe the whole ark would be made by the family.

Nowadays these antique treen Folk Art Noah's Arks are very collectible and both the arks and the animals are difficult to find.

Date of Manufacture

Opus Antiques has dated this Antique Wooden Noahs Ark to the 1910s.

Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Ref
SA1238174
Opus Antiques
Opus Antiques
Sellingantiques verified Since Oct 2014

Antique treen, boxes & decorative georgian items

Dealer Profile

You can view the stock and full dealer information on the Opus Antiques Profile Page

PDF SHARE
SAVE
A hand-painted 19th-century wooden Noahs ark toy with a pitched roof and painted windows, accompanied by carved wooden figures.
1 / 11
Archive I A hand-painted 19th-century wooden Noahs ark toy with a pitched roof and painted windows, accompanied by carved wooden figures.

Antique Noahs Ark - Including Over 50 Animals and Birds & 4 Figures

Archive II A hand-painted 19th-century wooden Noahs ark toy with a pitched roof and painted windows, accompanied by carved wooden figures. View II
Archive III A hand-painted 19th-century wooden Noahs ark toy with a pitched roof and painted windows, accompanied by carved wooden figures. View III
Archive IV A hand-painted 19th-century wooden Noahs ark toy with a pitched roof and painted windows, accompanied by carved wooden figures. View IV
Archive V A hand-painted 19th-century wooden Noahs ark toy with a pitched roof and painted windows, accompanied by carved wooden figures. View V
Archive VI A hand-painted 19th-century wooden Noahs ark toy with a pitched roof and painted windows, accompanied by carved wooden figures. View VI
Archive VII A hand-painted 19th-century wooden Noahs ark toy with a pitched roof and painted windows, accompanied by carved wooden figures. View VII
Archive VIII A hand-painted 19th-century wooden Noahs ark toy with a pitched roof and painted windows, accompanied by carved wooden figures. View VIII
Archive IX A hand-painted 19th-century wooden Noahs ark toy with a pitched roof and painted windows, accompanied by carved wooden figures. View IX
Archive X A hand-painted 19th-century wooden Noahs ark toy with a pitched roof and painted windows, accompanied by carved wooden figures. View X
Archive XI A hand-painted 19th-century wooden Noahs ark toy with a pitched roof and painted windows, accompanied by carved wooden figures. View XI
Enlarged Archival View
Opus Antiques

Opus Antiques
Telephone 07941 285 532
Location
North Devon
United Kingdom
Dealer Profile Page sellingantiques.co.uk/opusantiques
Verified Since Oct 2014
Items For Sale 93
Items Sold 2,385
Opus Antiques
Opus Antiques
Verified Since Oct 2014
View Dealer Info
Location: North Devon, United Kingdom
Profile: sellingantiques.co.uk/opusantiques
Verified
Oct 2014
For Sale
93
Sold
2,385
A hand-painted 19th-century wooden Noahs ark toy with a pitched roof and painted windows, accompanied by carved wooden figures.
Antique Noahs Ark - including over 50 animals and birds & 4 figures
Ref: SA1238174
A hand-painted 19th-century wooden Noahs ark toy with a pitched roof and painted windows, accompanied by carved wooden figures.
Detail View 1
Detail View 2
Detail View 3
Detail View 4
Detail View 5
Detail View 6
Detail View 7
Detail View 8
Detail View 9
Detail View 10
Archival Detail

Strictly Vetted Dealers

Every single antique dealer on our platform is individually approved by our internal team. We verify their professional trade history, ethical standards, and photographic quality to ensure a secure, high-standard buying environment. Upon joining, every dealer agrees to a strict 9-point code of conduct. While issues can occasionally arise, our dealers typically resolve them swiftly and directly with the buyer. In fact, since our founding in 2002, Sellingantiques has only had to step in to help resolve an issue on roughly five occasions—a true testament to the quality of our dealers and their dedication to your happiness.

Secure Transit

Our dealers are highly experienced in packing and shipping fragile, high-value antiques. Because you are in direct contact with the dealer, you will be able to easily go through all available shipping and insurance options together to ensure your item arrives safely.

The Sustainable Choice

Antiques are the ultimate green purchase. By choosing historical pieces over newly manufactured goods, you completely eliminate the carbon footprint of modern mass production while preserving exceptional, timeless craftsmanship.

Cataloguer’s note

Written by Sellingantiques from the dealer’s photographs and listing
  • ObjectAntique Toy
  • Period1900 - 1920
  • Style19th Century Folk Art
  • MaterialPine, Paint, Metal
  • ColourOchre, Yellow, Brown
  • MotifsPainted faux windows, Pitched roof, Hand-carved animal figures, Latch closure

This early 1900s antique Noahs Ark toy originates from the 19th-century folk art tradition and comes crafted from pine, paint, and metal. The piece features an ochre, yellow, and brown colour palette, complete with a pitched roof, painted faux windows, and a metal latch closure. Visible details include chipping paint from historical use, decorative friezes beneath the eaves, and hand-painted tile motifs across the roofline alongside a painted bird figure. Measuring 43 cm from tip to tip, with a main body width of 29 cm and a height of 18 cm, the ark includes a lift-up roof for storage and a drop-down side. Included are over 50 animals, birds, and four figures. In a modern home, this decorative collectible item sits on a mantelpiece as an ornamental display piece celebrating historical folk art design.

FAQs

Popularised in the 19th century, particularly in Germanys Erzgebirge region, wooden Noahs arks were crafted as Sunday toys. Strict religious customs often prohibited standard play on the Sabbath, but biblical themes were permitted, making these detailed toy sets a fixture in Victorian households.

These toys were typically constructed from local softwoods such as pine or lime wood. Arks were built with hinged painted roofs or sliding panels, while figures were individually hand-carved using penknives and finished with water- or oil-based paints.

Authentic pieces feature signs of genuine age, including natural wear to the original paintwork, shrinkage lines in the wood, hand-cut nails or simple wire hinges, and asymmetric, hand-carved details on the figures rather than modern machine-moulded precision.

Folk art pieces are frequently used as sculptural focal points on mantelpieces, bookshelves, or sideboards. Arranging the wooden figures outside the main ark creates a graphic, narrative display that adds warmth and texture to contemporary or traditional spaces.

Keep the wood in a stable environment away from direct heat sources and sunlight to prevent drying out or paint flaking. Dust gently using a soft dry brush, and avoid applying water, solvents, or household cleaners which can strip original distemper or paint finishes.
items
Add keywords to the filter
Price
£100
£250000
Era
Period
Style
Material
Origin
Stock Location
Recently Added
Online Payments
Categories