Sold: Carved Hearse Curtain

Carved wooden hearse carriage panel / carved & painted wood / c. 1890s 

Large antique hand-carved wooden trompe l’oeil panel from a horse-drawn hearse, c. late 19th century. Handsomely aged and weathered, the folk art carving was salvaged from a Victorian funeral carriage.

A suite of these panels would have been inset into the frame of a horse-drawn hearse which once led funeral processions to the cemetery. The carved wooden curtains were intended to recall a more lavish and traditional funeral carriage laden with black mourning drapery. Already weighted with symbolism, the funereal folk carving seems to speak to the impenetrable mystery and certainty of death, but also the fixed nature of fate. Carved in wood, this final curtain does not fall, but is set before us, undeniable and irreversible.

From a Vermont collection of folk art hearse panels.

Measurements

35.5 inches tall
32 inches wide
2 inches deep

Condition

Good antique condition, with paint loss, scratches, and other wear. See photos.

Shipping

Free in the continental United States. If an international buyer, please contact me for a shipping estimate by clicking here.