Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 14

Swedish Folk Wooden Dala Pig Toy, circa 1960

About the Item

Handpainted Swedish wooden traditional Dala pig toy. Designed by Nils Olsson in Sweden, circa 1960. Materials: Wood In original condition, with minor wear consistent with age and use, preserving a beautiful patina. The Dala Horse (Dalahast) story dates back many hundreds of years to an area in central Sweden. In the Dalarna region, somewhere between Borlanga/Falun and Mora, the tales and historical significance of our little wooden friend exists. Carved out of scraps of wood by tradesmen, the Dala Horse embodies a part of Sweden's National heritage and is one of the icons of Sweden. There is legend that the Dala Horse became the National toy in 1716 after Swedish soldiers fighting under King Charles XII were forced to seek quarters in the homes in the Dalarna region. The winter months were brutal in central Sweden and food was limited. Many of the men had left their vocation (wood craftsmen) to take part in war throughout Europe. The nights were cold and long and to pass the time, many of them would carve animals out of wood. They carved many types of animal figures including roosters and pigs but the most notable was the horse. The horse became the sign of good luck and these carvings were often given as gifts for their hosts for food or payment for room and board. The Dala Horse has a sentimental, warm place in the hearts of many Scandinavians. Even today the horse represents qualities such as strength, faithfulness, wisdom and dignity. In rustic culture, if a farm had a horse it was a great help in supporting the family. Mora, Sweden's at the center of the Dalarna Province and at the center of the Dala Horse craft. The horse was the secure helpful friend in the field, the farm and provided transportation to the mill and the church. Many farms could not afford a horse and it is said that it was probably a farmer who realized he would never be able to afford his own horse so he created his dream horse out of wood. With knife and hand he gave the Dala Horse form and paint for decoration.
  • Creator:
    Nils Olsson (Designer)
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 3.55 in (9 cm)Width: 5.52 in (14 cm)Depth: 1.97 in (5 cm)
  • Style:
    Folk Art (In the Style Of)
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    circa 1960
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age and use.
  • Seller Location:
    Barcelona, ES
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: NO.DALAHORSENILSOLSSON.XX.SL.0008521stDibs: LU1427227878992
More From This SellerView All
  • Set of 5 Swedish Folk Wooden Dala Horse Toys, circa 1960
    By Nils Olsson
    Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
    Set of 5 handpainted Swedish wooden traditional Dala horse toy. Designed by Nils Olsson in Sweden, circa 1960. Materials: Wood In original condition, with minor wear consistent wit...
    Category

    Vintage 1960s Swedish Folk Art Toys and Dolls

    Materials

    Wood

  • Set of 5 Swedish Folk Wooden Dala Horse Toys, circa 1960
    By Nils Olsson
    Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
    Set of 5 handpainted Swedish wooden traditional Dala horse toy. Designed by Nils Olsson in Sweden, circa 1960. Materials: Wood In original condition, with...
    Category

    Vintage 1960s Swedish Folk Art Toys and Dolls

    Materials

    Wood

  • Set of 4 Swedish Folk Wooden Dala Horse Toys, circa 1960
    By Nils Olsson
    Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
    Set of 4 hand-painted Swedish wooden traditional Dala horse toy. Designed by Nils Olsson in Sweden, circa 1960. Materials: Wood In original conditio...
    Category

    Vintage 1960s Swedish Folk Art Toys and Dolls

    Materials

    Wood

  • Antique Cork Construction Set Game, circa 1930
    Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
    Antique cork construction game. By unknown manufacturer from Spain, circa 1930. In original condition, with minor wear consistent with age and use, pre...
    Category

    Vintage 1930s European Mid-Century Modern Toys

    Materials

    Cork

  • Ko Verzuu ADO Toys Houthandel Truck, circa 1940
    By ADO, Ko Verzuu
    Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
    Toy designed by Ko Verzuu, circa 1940. Manufactured by ADO in Netherlands. Truck & trailer of wood "Houthandel". In good original condition, with minor wear consistent with ag...
    Category

    Vintage 1940s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Toys

    Materials

    Wood

  • Wooden Box, circa 1950
    Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
    Wooden Box, circa 1950. By unknown manufacturer, Japan. In original condition, with minor wear consistent with age and use, preserving a beautiful pat...
    Category

    Vintage 1950s Spanish Baroque Toys

    Materials

    Wood

You May Also Like
  • Rare Antique Wooden Child's Ride on Wooden Toy Boat by Nautilus Toy Co. London
    Located in Buffalo, NY
    Rare antique wooden child's ride on wooden toy boat by Nautilus Toy Co. London wonderful Folk Art object. 1920s ride on toy made by the Nautilus Toy Compan...
    Category

    Vintage 1920s English Folk Art Toys and Dolls

    Materials

    Metal

  • Vintage Toy Wooden Spelling Board, American, circa 1890
    By The Instructive Toy Company
    Located in Incline Village, NV
    Manufactured by "The Instructive Toy Company" of Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1890 and "Patented February 16th, 1886" by Alonzo Smith (see image) this alphabet wooden spelling board was u...
    Category

    Antique 1890s American Victorian Toys and Dolls

    Materials

    Wood

  • American Pottery Pig Bank, Circa 1880's
    Located in Incline Village, NV
    American pottery still bank in the shape of a pig, used for saving coins (usually pennies) to encourage children the importance of thrift. Pottery still banks are somewhat scarce since the typical way to remove coins was to smash the bank open, albeit, with this particular example, perhaps a knife was used for coin removal (note the wear to the coin slot---see images) or perhaps the additional wear is also from many coins having been deposited. The bank is in good all original condition , from an unknown potter (unmarked) circa 1880's, and probably a variant of #633 "Two Toned Pig" in Andy Moore's "The Penny Bank Book" written in 1984 when collecting pottery banks...
    Category

    Antique 1880s American Folk Art Toys

    Materials

    Pottery

  • American Tin Toy Trolley, circa 1880
    By George W. Brown & Co.
    Located in Incline Village, NV
    Horse drawn trolleys or "horse buses" were the main source of "mass transit", along with trains in the late 1800s in America. Thus they were ubiquitous subject matter for toy makers to exploit as toys for young children. While many tin toy...
    Category

    Antique Late 19th Century American Folk Art Toys

    Materials

    Tin

  • Vintage French Toy "Les Acrobates", circa 1920
    By G. Doloy
    Located in Incline Village, NV
    Rare 100 year old French toy in it's original box depicting two acrobats attached to a wire frame with brown barrel weights, cascading down a green metal ladder. Once assembled (loop...
    Category

    Vintage 1920s French Folk Art Toys

    Materials

    Tin

  • Six Kobe Toys, Japanese, Meiji Period, circa 1900
    By Kobe Toys
    Located in Incline Village, NV
    Kobe Toys are very mysterious and not much is known about them. They were created and hand made during the Meiji period in Japan, which covered the years 1868...
    Category

    Antique Early 1900s Japanese Folk Art Toys

    Materials

    Ebony

Recently Viewed

View All