dala horses
Over the years the handcarved and painted Dala Horse has become a symbol of authentic Swedish handicraft and one of Sweden's most popular souvenirs. The name comes from its home province, Dalarna, in central Sweden. Most popular are the red-orange horses from the little village of Nusnäs near Mora.
The bright, happy little animal as we now know the Dala Horse probably originated in the 1700's. The carving of the stocky little tailless horses had become a well-established tradition, but up until this time they had been unpainted and had just the natural grain of the wood for ornamentation.
In the winter of 1716, while King Charles XII of Sweden waged war throughout most of Europe, many soldiers were quartered in private homes in the Mora area of Sweden. Because of the severe winter and the war, all suffered from lack of food and warmth. Tradition has it that one such soldier, in his spare time, carved a Dala Horse from some scrap wood in the home where he was staying. Before presenting it to the child of the home as a gift, he painted it a bright red. This was a readily available color in this area, being produced from the copper mine at the nearby community of Falun. This design comes from the Biblical story in which Jonah sat outside the city of Ninevah and the Lord caused a Kurbit, or gourd vine, to grow up beside him to protect him from the desert sun.The traditional color of Dala Horses is a bright orange-red, but they are also to be found in natural wood, or painted white, blue, or black, all with brightly colored painted kurbit-type trim.
The bright, happy little animal as we now know the Dala Horse probably originated in the 1700's. The carving of the stocky little tailless horses had become a well-established tradition, but up until this time they had been unpainted and had just the natural grain of the wood for ornamentation.
In the winter of 1716, while King Charles XII of Sweden waged war throughout most of Europe, many soldiers were quartered in private homes in the Mora area of Sweden. Because of the severe winter and the war, all suffered from lack of food and warmth. Tradition has it that one such soldier, in his spare time, carved a Dala Horse from some scrap wood in the home where he was staying. Before presenting it to the child of the home as a gift, he painted it a bright red. This was a readily available color in this area, being produced from the copper mine at the nearby community of Falun. This design comes from the Biblical story in which Jonah sat outside the city of Ninevah and the Lord caused a Kurbit, or gourd vine, to grow up beside him to protect him from the desert sun.The traditional color of Dala Horses is a bright orange-red, but they are also to be found in natural wood, or painted white, blue, or black, all with brightly colored painted kurbit-type trim.
your project:
Create a Dala Horse out of clay or wood.
Option 1 Wood & Paint: Should you choose this option you will trace the outline of a Dala Horse onto wood, cut and carve the horse. Then using acrylic paint you will design your horse's back, head and body.
Option 2 Clay & Glaze: Should you choose this option you will create a few slabs of clay and put together your horse with slip. You can put a little paper in the horse to allow it to stay puffed out. You will then design your horse's back, head and body with underglaze.
Option 1 Wood & Paint: Should you choose this option you will trace the outline of a Dala Horse onto wood, cut and carve the horse. Then using acrylic paint you will design your horse's back, head and body.
Option 2 Clay & Glaze: Should you choose this option you will create a few slabs of clay and put together your horse with slip. You can put a little paper in the horse to allow it to stay puffed out. You will then design your horse's back, head and body with underglaze.