- A cat's face framed under
a wooden arch on a plaque. There were a pair of rusty cast iron
handles inset in the top and bottom of the plaque marked "Hines"
but the wood surrounding them was in poor condition so we cut
them off and framed the piece with quarter-round molding. The
rest of it is untouched and original. The cat's head is made
of wood or zinc, and is hollow on the back, with wood in the
center. When we acquired the piece it was extremely heavy. It
still has some weight to it but hangs quite nicely as shown in
the photos. The prior owner thought it might have been a mold
of some kind, but we found no indication that this was true (no
stains or residue). It has the look of something that might have
been part of a carnival or a circus wagon, but that is just a
guess. Nonetheless, it is a dramatic piece of early American
folk art, likely dating to the early 20th century. 15 ½"
h x 13" w. (CK-26)
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