Circa 1880s: This handmade folk art Fox and Geese gameboard measures 13.25" in diameter and is turned from a single slab of 1.25" thick tulip poplar and still retains its three simple turned wooden feet that are applied with tiny square hand cut nails. The honest original four color black, red, yellow, and green surface is finely crazed and shows the board's great age, which is exactly what one expects to find in a late 19th century painted gameboard. The game's black ground mimics the ebonized finish popular in aesthetic period dècor, and the dark red color and pinstriped elements were also signature elements of the period's look. The board is visually enticinging with the yellow border encircling the field and the yellow pinstriping pointing straight to to the central yellow spot where the fox's marble sits to begin this classic game. Provenance: Ex Jewett-Berdan Antiques.
Bob Zordani and Heidi Kellner: (217) 714-5016, Lexington, Virginia: zandk@zandkantiques.com
