French Open Balance Toy
Dimensions: 9.5 x 1.5 x 22.25 inches
A tennis party
atmosphere in 1928. The Champion: Ms. Maud Watson. Courts were originally shaped
like hourglasses, similar to the dictated feminine fashion shape... the lovely
Ms. Watson is shown wearing a comfortable striped skirt allowing for an easy
upswing.
Using sharp chisels, craftsmen cut
the steel plate into shape and hammer the edges. Others bend, cast and attach
the wire hung counterweight and check balance and swing. Village painters hand
paint faces and important details. Apprentices do base paint and more
mundane details. The distressed finish is the result of an old and proven
system of combined layers of paint of slightly different composition. The final
step is a hand rub with dark colored beeswax giving it the final finish and
feel. In the manner of their antique predecessors, our balance toys are true
originals.