Swedish Folk Art Bridge Bookshelf by Petrus & Sture Lundström, 1925

A wonderful and skilfully executed piece of Swedish Folk Art. In 1925 readers of the Swedish family magazine Allérs familj-journal, would have found instructions for building this impressive towered suspension-bridge bookshelf, designed by Petrus and Sture Lundström, Tranās. They were then instructed to make the detailed Bookshelf from Wood, copper, paper and cord, using a high degree of skills to create this attractive Folk Art piece. Craft traditions have long been vibrant in Sweden, where the population was primarily rural through the late 1800s. Swedish children grew up learning handicrafts — carpentry, carving, knitting, weaving and sewing as household skills and used whatever materials were available to make their playthings. In spite of the fact that Sweden faced widespread famine and crippling poverty in the 19th century, these toys, like present a very pure, simple, kind of Disney-esque view of living in the countryside. They’re a way of revisiting childhood nostalgia and preserving and documenting the life of children. A great many such toys did not survive, however as in past centuries they were often discarded or burned as kindling, making this a rare and fine example which has been lovingly kept for nearly 100 years. In the mid-19th century, crafts, or slöjd, started to be taught in schools, to help children learn skills like attention to detail, self-reliance, problem solving and discipline. The courses were also intended to preserve Sweden’s traditions in the face of modernisation, and working with wood, which was plentiful, and was a particular focus. As Sweden began to modernise, “there was a renewed confidence, a growing nationalism and a romantic embrace of the countryside and Swedish identity. * Weight 6.3kg