Description: I found these delightful wheeled creatures among my late sister Betsy's many collections. I suspect Betsy featured the sculptor, the amazing Dona Dalton, in her Pittsburgh, PA crafts and collectibles shop which honored regional artists in the tri-state region of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Dalton was/is based in Philadelphia, indeed has a degree in Sculpture from the Philadelphia College of Art (now University of the Arts). Dalton doesn't see these as kid's toys, however bright and fun they are. She writes on her website, Artful Home, "In the mid 70’s, I began making toys: simple flat cut and painted animals, birds, and constructed farm sets, Noah’s Arks, Dinosaur caves, and Fairy Tales. I kept hearing from people that they were keeping the toys, not wanting kids to be too rough with them. This probably was the incentive to make more elaborate, developed pieces which were much more to my personal interest. Also, I could more freely use my sculpture and painting abilities. "As I make sculpture, wall pieces, etcetera, I still, at best want to keep the feeling of playfulness, light or dark, in the work. Toys are for all ages, and reminders to keep lighthearted." Dalton uses poplar, pine, and aspen woods. As noted in the listings, the narrowest thickness is the snake at 1/2" and the widest is the rabbit at 1-1/2"; most are 3/4", which is pretty darn durable. (The thicknesses listed does NOT include the wheels, just the wood.) Every piece is hand signed but without dates. Her later pieces do have dates so I'm assuming this is mid-career work, '90s-early '00s. You have photos but here's my cold summary of the condition of each piece:Fish: excellent condition, strong paint with no loss, edges are sharp, etc. Would benefit from a light cleaning.Giraffe: Generally wonderful from head to attached tail. Someone, I hope it wasn't my sister, attached a price tag, I suspect, at the bottom of its neck on the right side (see photo). The glue, or whatever, is in the vertical grain of the wood so it will need some careful cleaning that I am confident will take care of it. There are a few paint spots or loss of paint spots on that side, which perhaps is related. All else is well on this tall doll.Pig: Like "Fish", the Pig is in universally grand condition, including it's curly tail.Rabbit: Is a tour de force in its flowered pajama pants. I like to think that the black piece at the back is not a tail, but a fanny pack for the race with the tortoise; that would be classic Dona Dalton. Bunny has had a couple scrapes, not surprising giving its size, but it has only resulted in one very tiny loss of paint below the nose on one side (get out the black Magic Marker) and perhaps a rub against something blue. A cleaning would work.Sheep: The Sheep stands tall at 5" with its black muzzle. I think it's a different wood from the others because the grain, which goes in all directions, seems to attract and keep smudge. You'll see in the photos brown marks on the nape of the head, the back, the underside, and a bit on the sides (what's left, you ask?). All of it falls in with the grain of that particular location. I was able to wash much of it away with a bit of dish soap and a soft sponge by rubbing with the grain, but I am leaving the "final" cleaning to the next owner. There was a bit of muzzle-rubbing which revealed different colored paints on the edges of the face; Magic Marker to the rescue? (The Sheep doesn't have a tail and there's no evidence that it ever had one.)Snake: Like Fish and Pig, great condition. A light cleaning might brighten the wheels, dunno.Tropical Bird: Also in great condition, but needs a good bath. Dalton didn't lay the paint on as thick as with the others and yet its wonderfully colorful.If you have questions or want to teach me something, just message me. Yes, I am absolutely offering discounts for buying more than one Dona Dalton sculpture. And I will do my best to refund shipping costs for multiple purchases at the same time, but since these vary so much in weight and size...and you might live in Boston or San Francisco, I won't know until I see the order. Thanks for reading!Rick
Price: 30 USD
Location: Mansfield, Massachusetts
End Time: 2024-09-25T19:11:15.000Z
Shipping Cost: 0 USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Artist: Dona Dalton
Signed By: Dona Dalton
Occasion: All Occasions
Size: Medium
Item Length: Varies. See Description.
Department: Teens, Adults
Item Height: Varies. See Description
Style: Retro
Features: Carvings, Hand Painted, Limited Edition, Retired
Finish: Painted
Room: Any Room
Handmade: Yes
Item Width: Varies. See Description.
Pattern: Animals
Signed: Yes
Color: Multicolor
Material: Wood
Subject: Rabbit, Giraffe, Snake, Fish, Bird, Sheep, Pig
Brand: Dona Dalton
Type: Sculpture
Collection: Birds, fish, reptiles, mammals
Theme: folk art
Original/Reproduction: Original
Time Period Manufactured: 2000-2009
Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
Production Technique: handmade
Item Weight: Varies
Available Variations
Color: Fish, 3-1/4"h x 3-3/4w x 3/4" thick
Price: 40 USD
Available Quantity: 1
Quantity Sold: 1
Color: Giraffe, 9"h x 5"w x 3/4" thick
Price: 35 USD
Available Quantity: 1
Quantity Sold: 0
Color: Pig, 2-3/4"h x 3-1/2"w x 3/4" thick
Price: 30 USD
Available Quantity: 1
Quantity Sold: 0
Color: Rabbit, 6-1/2"h x 5-1/2"w x 1-1/2" thick
Price: 45 USD
Available Quantity: 1
Quantity Sold: 0
Color: Sheep, 5-1/4"h x 6"w x 3/4" thick
Price: 30 USD
Available Quantity: 1
Quantity Sold: 0
Color: Snake, 1-1/4"h x 6-3/4"w x 1/2" thick
Price: 40 USD
Available Quantity: 1
Quantity Sold: 0
Color: Tropical Bird, 3"h x 3-1/2"w x 3/4" thick
Price: 35 USD
Available Quantity: 1
Quantity Sold: 0
