Dala horse
The carved and painted horse from Dalarna that became a symbol of Sweden.
Horses had long been carved as toys in Dalarna, among other places during forest work. In the nineteenth century the painted horses from the area around Mora became a trade.
At the New York World's Fair of 1939 a large Dala horse was shown, and after that the horse became a symbol of Sweden. It is still made in Nusnäs.
Materials: Pine, painted
Manufacture: Carved by hand from a sawn blank and painted with kurbits patterns.
The angular form with flat surfaces from the carving knife.
The kurbits painting: the saddle and the scrolls.
The colour, usually red, but also blue, black or unpainted.