A Rare Early Busk with Notable Provenance



Carved at Grand Bank, Nova Scotia, ca. 1764. Birchwood with naturally oxidized patina. A SENSATIONAL VIEW INTO PERIOD LETTERING, as it is inscribed on the reverse: "July Ye 17, 1764, A Busk, Made At Ye Grand Bank". Note the use of the early 24-letter alphabet that uses I for J, and V for U. The front skillfully carved including a stylized heart. Likely sailor-made as a gift to a back-home sweetheart as only a handful of residents made Grand Bank their home in 1764 (famous explorer Captain James Cook mapped the area in 1765). And given the proximity to New England, very likely that sailor was from a colonial American port. Superb condition. About 13 inches long x 3 wide....................Provenance: NINA FLETCHER LITTLE collection, sold at the Little auction January 29, 1994, lot 151, and in a private collection until recently. Published/PICTURED in Nina Fletcher Little, "Country Arts in Early American Homes," p. 56, fig. 53.



Dealer Don Olson
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Website http://www.donolsonantiques.com
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Contact Don Olson, 585-385-9002 or  earlypieces@aol.com

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