Irish Vintage Bog Oak Folk Art Hand Carved Shamrocks Harp Letter Opener c1890

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Hand carved quaint old bog-oak paper knife or letter opener - see enlarge images. Measures: 9.25" long X 1.25" deep Condition: Very Good. See one close up photo shows a tiny wee (hardly worth mentioning!) flea bite. No repairs or other problems. Please note - World Wide FREE Shipping. BOG-OAK Ornaments This black hardwood is almost like ebony and was dug out of the bogs of Ireland . Bog oak was used for the manufacture of small articles, intended mainly for the tourist or souvenir trade, from the 1820s for over a century, reaching a peak from about 1850 to 1860. Right up into the last century. But after World War Two the craft seem to have completely disappeared. The range of products was amazingly diverse, extending from the simple to the elaborate, often carved, or embellished with gold, silver or gems. In general they comprised of three main categories: 1) Personal or dress ornaments, for example, brooches (many similar in form to the Tara Brooch), bracelets, ear-rings, buttons and studs (some in the form of shamrocks or harps). Bog-oak jewellery ranges from the relatively simple to the elaborate, the latter often embellished with “Wicklow Gold”, silver or “Irish Diamonds” (pyrites), often referred to in Ireland as ‘Summer Diamonds’ (Some are diamonds and some are not!!) 2) Household ornaments such as models or representations of Irish antiquities, monuments, abbeys, round towers, High Crosses and sometimes caricatures of historical Irish personalities, Brian Boru, Henry Grattan etc. The Irish Wolfhound, with crossed paws, the mythological owl were also great favorites. 3) Functional articles like work-boxes, card cases, book stands, candlesticks, pen holders, snuff boxes and jewellery boxes. Decorated and literally festooned with shamrocks, harps and foliage. The earliest reference to the ornamental use of bog-oak is a walking stick carved with shamrocks by Patrick McGurk which was given to King George 1V in 1821. John Neate (1796-1838) trained his relations, the Goggin brothers and Denis Connell, in carving depictions of the picturesque ancient ruins of the region. The Goggin family specialised in bog oak jewellery and were in business in Dublin as early as the 1860's. Queen Victoria , on an Irish visit wore a bog oak brooch mounted in Wicklow gold and set with Irish gems. (How well she might!) Cornelius Goggin now enjoyed the title “Irish Bog Oak carver to her Majesty”. Bog-oak can be embellished with other materials, silver gilt mountings and national emblems, the jewels being Irish diamonds (iron pyrites) and amethysts. The poet, Thomas Moore owned a harp of bog oak which is now on display in the National Museum of Ireland.In later advertisements it was claimed that the bog-oak used was from the Lakes of Killarney and the Bog of Allen. Bog oak jewellery was produced in the greatest quantity around Killarney, the most popular Irish beauty spot of the nineteenth century. There was a heavy demand for souvenir items and bog oak was plentiful in the area. This accounts for the predominance of brooches depicting both Muckross House and Abbey, both close to the famous Lakes of Killarney . Bog oak was also a profitable line for Dublin jewellers who often advertised themselves as “Jewellers and bog oak ornament manufacturer”. During the nineteen century spectacular finds of ancient Irish jewellery were made. These were eagerly copied by both the conventional and the bog-oak jewelers. Bog Lore There are many folk legends surrounding the old bog sites of Ireland, especially during the hours of darkness; it was, and perhaps still is, a commonly held belief that when the mist enveloped the bog and the blue flame (from static electricity), danced across the surface at dusk, it was a sure indication that ‘the little people’ were cooking their supper. Then, just before darkness fell, ‘Jack o’ the Lantern’ could be seen shimmering from place to p... read more

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