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ID #SA1038769
FOR SALE
£225
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19th Century Carved Folk Art Hardwood Distaff
For sale by Abersoch Antiques
for sale €263     $286
£225
Abersoch Antiques

Abersoch Antiques

Sellingantiques Verified Since Dec 2010
Browse dealers 181 items
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    Welsh country furniture, treen ,longcase clocks, gold & silver
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Id #SA1038769
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19th Century Carved Folk Art Hardwood Distaff

19th century
Description

A beautifully carved early 19th century carved distaff- originally used for spinning wool, they became a form of folk art heirlooms in many eastern european and russian steppe cultures similar in tradition to the celtic love spoon tradition.

Chip carved geometric patterns and floral motif adorn the hardwood staff, intricately carved rectangular pattern,shaped edging creating a decorative piece of art. Flowers to the top, the shaft curved with the passage of time .general usage wear and lovely golden patination as per photo, old traces of worm now stable and treated.point of interest is similarly to the medieval tradition of carving a geometric star to the rear of early furniture to ward off evil spirits, this has one carved to the rear. From a private collection

Dimensions:

143cm long

5cm wide

1cm deep

Physical Dimensions
Height
148cm (58.27")
Width
5cm (1.97")
Depth
1cm (0.39")
Declaration

Abersoch Antiques has dated this Carved Folk Art Distaff to the 19th Century.

Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Reference
SA1038769
Dealers Internal Reference
CURVED DISTAF J
Dealers Notes

Delivery arranged to all parts worldwide.

Clocks can be delivered including set up upon request.

Goods bought & sold, part exchange considered.

Description
A beautifully carved early 19th century carved distaff- originally used for spinning wool, they became a form of folk art heirlooms in many eastern european and russian steppe cultures similar in tradition to the celtic love spoon tradition.
“
Chip carved geometric patterns and floral motif adorn the hardwood staff, intricately carved rectangular pattern,shaped edging creating a decorative piece of art.
Abersoch Antiques

Flowers to the top, the shaft curved with the passage of time .general usage wear and lovely golden patination as per photo, old traces of worm now stable and treated.point of interest is similarly to the medieval tradition of carving a geometric star to the rear of early furniture to ward off evil spirits, this has one carved to the rear. From a private collection

Dimensions:

143cm long

5cm wide

1cm deep

Height
148cm (58.27")
Width
5cm (1.97")
Depth
1cm (0.39")
Date of Manufacture

Abersoch Antiques has dated this Carved Folk Art Distaff to the 19th Century.

Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Ref
SA1038769
Dealers Internal Ref
CURVED DISTAF J
Abersoch Antiques
Abersoch Antiques
Sellingantiques verified Since Dec 2010

Welsh country furniture, treen ,longcase clocks, gold & silver

Dealer Profile

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

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A 19th-century dark hardwood distaff featuring hand-carved floral motifs, geometric notch carving, and a circular hexfoil rosette.
1 / 5
Archive I A 19th-century dark hardwood distaff featuring hand-carved floral motifs, geometric notch carving, and a circular hexfoil rosette.

19th Century Carved Folk Art Hardwood Distaff

Archive II A 19th-century dark hardwood distaff featuring hand-carved floral motifs, geometric notch carving, and a circular hexfoil rosette. View II
Archive III A 19th-century dark hardwood distaff featuring hand-carved floral motifs, geometric notch carving, and a circular hexfoil rosette. View III
Archive IV A 19th-century dark hardwood distaff featuring hand-carved floral motifs, geometric notch carving, and a circular hexfoil rosette. View IV
Archive V A 19th-century dark hardwood distaff featuring hand-carved floral motifs, geometric notch carving, and a circular hexfoil rosette. View V
Enlarged Archival View
Abersoch Antiques

Abersoch Antiques
Telephone 07769 710 491 or 01758 613173
Location
10 Penlan Street
Pwllheli
North Wales
LL53 5DH
United Kingdom
Dealer Profile Page sellingantiques.co.uk/jadams
Verified Since Dec 2010
Items For Sale 181
Items Sold 43
Abersoch Antiques
Abersoch Antiques
Verified Since Dec 2010
View Dealer Info
Location: 10 Penlan Street, Pwllheli, North Wales, LL53 5DH, United Kingdom,
Profile: sellingantiques.co.uk/jadams
Verified
Dec 2010
For Sale
181
Sold
43
A 19th-century dark hardwood distaff featuring hand-carved floral motifs, geometric notch carving, and a circular hexfoil rosette.
19TH CENTURY CARVED FOLK ART HARDWOOD DISTAFF
Ref: SA1038769
A 19th-century dark hardwood distaff featuring hand-carved floral motifs, geometric notch carving, and a circular hexfoil rosette.
Detail View 1
Detail View 10
Detail View 11
Detail View 12
Archival Detail

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Cataloguer’s note

Written by Sellingantiques from the dealer’s photographs and listing
  • ObjectFolk Art
  • Period19th century
  • StyleFolk Art
  • MaterialHardwood
  • ColourWarm Brown
  • MotifsChip carving, Hexfoil rosette, Floral motifs, Notched borders
  • SizeH 148 cm (58 in) x W 5 cm (2 in) x D 1 cm (0 in)

This early 19th-century folk art distaff is made of dark hardwood with a warm brown colour and a golden patination. The piece displays hand-carved floral motifs, chip-carved geometric patterns, notched borders, shaped edging, and a circular hexfoil rosette at the lower end. Signs of age and wear include general usage wear, a curved shaft resulting from the passage of time, and old, stable, treated traces of worm. The distaff measures 148 cm high, 5 cm wide, and 1 cm deep. It is designed for decorative display in a home today, specifically suited for narrow wall spaces in rustic farmhouse interiors.

FAQs

A distaff is a traditional tool designed to hold unspun fibres, such as flax or wool, keeping them organized and free of tangles during manual hand-spinning. Historically, in many European cultures, intricate distaffs were carved by suitors as courtship gifts or love tokens for young women.

Distaffs were predominantly carved from native hardwoods such as oak, fruitwood, walnut, or beech. Craftspeople utilized hand tools to perform chip carving, notch cutting, and shallow relief carving to form geometric rosettes, floral motifs, and symbolic patterns.

Authentic 19th-century pieces display genuine age-related surface wear, natural shrinkage of the timber, and a rich, oxidized patina in deep crevices. Carvings typically exhibit minor hand-tool irregularities rather than the uniform precision of modern machine production.

A carved folk art distaff works as a wall-mounted sculptural object in narrow spaces, entryways, or gallery walls. It can also be displayed resting vertically inside a tall ceramic vessel or mounted on a bespoke metal stand on a shelf.

Dust regularly using a soft, dry natural-bristle brush to clear crevices without abrading the surface timber. Apply a high-quality beeswax polish sparingly once or twice a year to preserve moisture in the wood and protect the original patina.
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