This birdcage is my favorite find of the week, to my eye really a wonderful thing, which I know from the seller came out of the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, c. 1880s-1900. The hand of the maker is viscerally palpable everywhere, and especially in the hand-carved, purely decorative pieces around the top, four arches each, and four more arches over the front door, which slides smoothly up to let a bird in or out. The entire structure hooks to the base (one hand-fashioned wire hook per faceted side; it is not nailed--I assume this was done in order to make cleaning the interior easier.) Original dark red paint, cut metal plates nailed down at each lower corner for reinforcement, and fantastically graphic, beautifully wonky construction of the cupola (I guess I would call it)--don't miss the view from the top. Don't miss the view from the bottom either--a star of sorts painted in yellow/orange, with the points of the star looking to me as if terminating in hearts. Love love love. And of course bird cages make perfect vitrines for all sorts of things.
16 1/2" t x 12" in diameter. Very good antique condition, stable and pretty sturdy. The bottom of the cage was made of two pieces of wood; from the underside one can see they are well held together by two cross pieces. There is one top corner it looks like a mouse may have nibbled just a bit, as picture--minor and no real matter.
*international buyers--due to size, shipping cost shown at checkout will not be accurate. Please contact me for an accurate bid.
