When I was a little guy, back in the early 1980's, my great aunt Virginia went on a trip to Sweden. On her return, she brought me these two genuine Dalahasts. I remember she gave me a story book too, about a little boy who's toy Dala horse came to life and led him on adventures.
These horses are suprisingly rough. Made for the tourist trade, they look to be rough sawn and quickly carved. The heavy base coat of paint looks dipped, while the saddle, tack, and harness are nicely painted in the two-colors fan brush style.
A sticker on the belly of the red horse reads:
"Akta
Dalahemslojd
Tillv. G.A. Olsson
Nunsa, Mora, Sweden"
John,
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post. I had wondered what the more traditional ones looked like. That said I prefer the shape and balance of yours.
What dimensional stock do you cut your horse blanks from, what paints do you use, etc?
Thanks again.
Brad