Norwegian Folk Art Pyrography Bentwood Box, 1890
Category: SFA Blog
An all original work of art signed on side with date 1890 The craftsmanship and details are superb. Dimensions: 9.5 inches high and 13.5 inches wide and 8 inches deep Hand crafted and hand burned using pyrographic techniques.
History of Norway’s Tine Bentwood Box: Bent wood boxes have a long and colorful history. Many different cultures have made their own unique versions of them. In Norway, examples of these boxes have been unearthed in the remains of Viking ships dating from 840 A.D. They were used to store valuable possessions, grains, meat, or anything else that might need to be secure. The traditional Norwegian tine, pronounced “teen-ah”, or the Swedish svepask is constructed of a thin piece of steam-bent wood that is laced together with some type of tree root, usually birch. The sides have two vertical posts cut with notches that are used to hold the lid on. Because of the snapping noise that they make when being closed, they are also called snap boxes. To open the tine, the side posts are gently pulled apart using the flex of the wood until the lid is freed and can then be lifted off.