🔎 UNIDENTIFIED Home made jester cabinet from '1800's?

[Bill Wonders]

The Jester cabinet stands little over 3ft. the Jester head is movable to set in any direction.
or can be removed. cabinet has two attached shelves inside.All hand made and painted.
What period is this from what was this made for? Iis this considered like folk art collectable?
All information is Greatly welcome and much appreciated. Thank You

 

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[Red-Coat]

I don't know the answers to your questions, but an incredibly similar one sold on eBay for $250. It's a little shorter than yours at 30 inches and had a damaged foot but the jester's headgear wasn't broken. It's the third one I've seen.

ANTIQUE CIRCUS FOLK ART CARNIVAL JESTER CLOWN CABINET WOOD HAND CARVED CABINET | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for ANTIQUE CIRCUS FOLK ART CARNIVAL JESTER CLOWN CABINET WOOD HAND CARVED CABINET at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

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The seller believed it to be Italian and from the 1930s. Maybe so, but I'm inclined not to think it a circus item as suggested in the listing, given that multiple similar items exist. I'm more inclined to think these were sold as amusing novelty furnishings.

Pretty neat I'd say.

 

[Bill Wonders]

Wow very amazing all these years no one knew exactly or close
even Leslie Keno was short on information years ago.... maybe because of price. Ha
Thank You for your direct path no nonsense information.Thank You

 

[Gulf Coast Pirate]

Interesting. I found one of these last week going through my deceased uncle's estate.

 

[cw0909]

I saw one those on the route 127 yard sale back in the 90s, asked the guy if he made it
he said it had been in his grandads house in Florida since the 60s when he was a kid, and
didn't know where grandad acquired it.
wonder if the jesters have anything to do with the Ringling Bros. & Barnum & Bailey Circus
they had winter quarters in Sarasota,Fl.until 1960 then moved to Venice, Fl

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[Red-Coat]

It seems to me that these cabinets were a ‘thing’ as novelty items and, despite the artisanal appearance, were mass-produced… even if only on a cottage industry basis. They crop up in Europe as well as in America, so I would be doubtful about any connection to Ringling brothers/Barnum & Bailey (I mentioned some time ago on another thread that ‘circus history’ is one of my interests). There’s another one here:

Jester Designed Cabinet | EBTH

An animated cabinet, designed to resemble a Court Jester. The cabinet is hand painted in festive colors. The body of the Jester has two doors that open and reveal three shelves. Please note, this i...

www.ebth.com

It’s also a jester rather than a traditional circus clown, but similar ones exist with proper clown imagery and in various sizes. Here are just a few:

Antique Circus Folk Art Carnival Clown Cabinet Wood Hand Carved Cabinet

folkartcarved.com

Reserved for Ellen Folkart Wood Clown Cabinet Vintage Folk - Etsy

This Console Tables & Cabinets item by FieldsOfVintage has 2 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from Keansburg, NJ. Listed on Dec 30, 2020

www.etsy.com

https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/antique-handmade-folk-art-clown-storage-cabinet-260-c-1604f15b83

2 wooden clown cabinets

2 Tables in the form of clowns Made of wood Dimensions The great: 1.50 high x 32 cm wide x 31 cm deep The small: 1.02 high x 25.5 cm wide x 24 cm deep Condition: In good used condition. The cabinets have some minor damage here and there. View the pictures for a good impression.

www.catawiki.com

 

[Clay Diggins]

Definitly not folk art. It reminds me of Pier 1 stuff from the 70's. Cheap stuff made by hand in poor countries. I bet a lot of that stuff is breing sold as antiques today.

 

[Emil W]

I've seen a few of these sell at local auctions over the past decade. They're produced simply as decorative cabinets and aren't antique. They do make an interesting curiosity sitting in the corner of a room. The only value is as a used piece of furniture with the value determined by how much the buyer is willing to pay, which generally isn't much.

 

[Red-Coat]

Definitly not folk art. It reminds me of Pier 1 stuff from the 70's. Cheap stuff made by hand in poor countries. I bet a lot of that stuff is breing sold as antiques today.

I've seen a few of these sell at local auctions over the past decade. They're produced simply as decorative cabinets and aren't antique. They do make an interesting curiosity sitting in the corner of a room. The only value is as a used piece of furniture with the value determined by how much the buyer is willing to pay, which generally isn't much.

I wouldn't rule out at least some of them being vintage and bordering on antique, based on how long some of the owners believe they have been 'in the family'. Doubtless others are more modern repros, both with and without some articifial distressing to make them look older.

 

[cw0909]

thanks won't look into the circus, I do remember JC penny & sears, sold odd
things in the home decor dept. like fake lanterns, strange looking mirrors
just odd stuff

 

[releventchair]

Still a mystery source.

Antique Circus Folk Art Carnival Clown Cabinet Wood Hand Carved Cabinet | Antique Carnival Circus

 

[releventchair]

 

[releventchair]

 

[UnderMiner]

If you find any Latin inscriptions on that cabinet, don't read them. If you do it'll probably come alive and go on a killing spree.

 

[releventchair]

 

[releventchair]

As mentioned they seem to get round.
Africa. England. U.S.A..
One mention of 30's/. Doesn't mean it's accurate.
Most look aged. Honest earned or forced?

 

[tamrock]

It looks Indonesian to me and I agree with Clay Diggens as it being an import decor piece. Maybe made as last as the 1990s

 

[Emil W]

It looks Indonesian to me and I agree with Clay Diggens as it being an import decor piece. Maybe made as last as the 1990s

Possibly Indonesian but more likely Thailand, where furnishings like these along with other styles are still made today, completely hand-carved, hand-planed, and with pegged mortise and tenon joints, old hardware, with an artificial antique finish.

This is a Thai cabinet from the 1980s that's currently in my kitchen. A couple decades ago it even fooled some supposed furniture 'experts'. But these were never made to deceive, they're made purely to be decorative.

 

[Bill Wonders]

I wouldn't rule out at least some of them being vintage and bordering on antique, based on how long some of the owners believe they have been 'in the family'. Doubtless others are more modern repros, both with and without some articifial distressing to make them look older.

thanks won't look into the circus, I do remember JC penny & sears, sold odd
things in the home decor dept. like fake lanterns, strange looking mirrors
just odd stuff

Interesting. I found one of these last week going through my deceased uncle's estate.

Hi yes it is a

thanks won't look into the circus, I do remember JC penny & sears, sold odd
things in the home decor dept. like fake lanterns, strange looking mirrors
just odd stuff

Hi Thank You for sharing that information....from the replies here...I learned a lot more Thank You

 

[Bill Wonders]

Hi This is wild .Great actually seeing other Jesters...seems all the bodies are same or similar..but the faces are different.? Thank You