Baby's Cradle
1780-1799 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This is an example of Pennsylvanian Dutch work, made by Protestant north Europeans who emigrated to Pennsylvania in the 17th and 18th centuries. They were mostly from Germany and German-speaking areas: ‘Dutch’ in this case derives from ‘Deutsch’, the German word for German. They developed distinctive arts and crafts forms based on elements of the native culture that they had brought with them.
This panelled cradle is rectangular with inward-sloping sides, a traditional form in Germanic culture. The maker of the cradle has decorated it at the head and foot with voided heart motifs. The heart is a recurrent symbol in Pennsylvanian Dutch art, where it links to a person’s religious beliefs and symbolises the individual. These particular heart motifs may also have had a practical application: the easiest way to move the cradle is by fitting two fingers of each hand into the curves of the hearts before lifting it. Along the outer top edge of each side are three wooden pegs for use in lacing the top of the cradle to keep the baby securely within.
This panelled cradle is rectangular with inward-sloping sides, a traditional form in Germanic culture. The maker of the cradle has decorated it at the head and foot with voided heart motifs. The heart is a recurrent symbol in Pennsylvanian Dutch art, where it links to a person’s religious beliefs and symbolises the individual. These particular heart motifs may also have had a practical application: the easiest way to move the cradle is by fitting two fingers of each hand into the curves of the hearts before lifting it. Along the outer top edge of each side are three wooden pegs for use in lacing the top of the cradle to keep the baby securely within.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Cherrywood |
| Brief description | Baby's rocking cradle of cherrywood made in the USA between 1780 and 1799 |
| Physical description | The panelled cradle is rectangular with inward-sloping sides, a traditional form in Germanic culture. The head and foot of the cradle have dome-shaped tops, curving down and upward again to the turned knobs at the corners, and each is decorated with a voided heart motif at the centre top. At each side of the head of the cradle is a shallow lobed wing of wood, and along the outer top edge of each side are three wooden pegs (for use in lacing the top of the cradle to keep the baby securely within). The cradle has a hollow base with two lengthwise batons, mounted on two transverse rockers with a central stretcher between them. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Object history | Bought in Chicago, USA, by the vendor for use by her children: Emily Fêi Leggatt (born 19/03/1969) and William Kai Morgan Leggatt (born 02/10/1970) |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | This is an example of Pennsylvanian Dutch work, made by Protestant north Europeans who emigrated to Pennsylvania in the 17th and 18th centuries. They were mostly from Germany and German-speaking areas: ‘Dutch’ in this case derives from ‘Deutsch’, the German word for German. They developed distinctive arts and crafts forms based on elements of the native culture that they had brought with them. This panelled cradle is rectangular with inward-sloping sides, a traditional form in Germanic culture. The maker of the cradle has decorated it at the head and foot with voided heart motifs. The heart is a recurrent symbol in Pennsylvanian Dutch art, where it links to a person’s religious beliefs and symbolises the individual. These particular heart motifs may also have had a practical application: the easiest way to move the cradle is by fitting two fingers of each hand into the curves of the hearts before lifting it. Along the outer top edge of each side are three wooden pegs for use in lacing the top of the cradle to keep the baby securely within. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | MISC.200-1989 |
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| Record created | February 2, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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