Six edelweiss blossoms form a wreath on the dark lid, surrounded by a vine of flowers, buds, and narrow leaves. This square wooden box from Austria is a piece of Alpine folk art, the kind people used to bring home from the mountains – carved, not printed, not pressed.
Craftsmanship
The body is crafted from light softwood and remains completely untreated on the inside. On the outside, the base has been stained almost black, while the motifs, hand-carved in flat relief using chisels and gouges, retain the light wood tone. The slightly textured, punched background and the small irregularities of the blossoms show that a hand and eye guided the work, not a machine.
Dimensions
- Width 16 cm × Depth 16 cm
- Height 6.5 cm
- Square, lid on two metal hinges, no lock
Age
Estimated approx. 1930s to 1960s. Due to the lack of a signature and mark, a more precise dating is not possible, hence this range.
Condition
Clearly used and beautifully aged: the stain is rubbed off at the edges and corners, there are small light chips on the lid edge, and a few old stains on the bottom inside. The hinges are firm, the lid opens and closes perfectly.
Use
For jewelry, watches, cufflinks, coins, cards or letters – or closed as a peaceful decorative object on a dresser, shelf, or nightstand.
Hand-picked at a flea market in Lower Austria. Shipped from Austria, carefully packaged. Price is for 1 piece.
Found in St. Pölten, at the stall of a man selling his deceased father's collection. The black base is thinly worn exactly where thumbs have lifted the lid for decades. Someone once carved sixty small petals into a board to make a beautiful storage place – and the blossoms still stand today.
Blossoms that endure every winter — Objects with Soul · VintageAustriaShop
