Made by HandYear round
Dala Horse Painting
Carved in Nusnäs since the 1600s
They are still carved and painted in Nusnäs, a village by Lake Siljan, and they have been made in that area since the seventeenth century — originally by forest workers whittling toys in the evenings and selling them for food.
Every one is cut from pine, carved, dipped, and then painted by hand. The pattern is kurbits — a flowing painted flower style from Dalarna that predates the horse and was used on walls and furniture long before it was used on toys.
Painting one properly is harder than it looks and the reason is the brushstroke. The kurbits line is laid in one movement with a loaded brush and cannot be corrected; you either commit or you produce something that looks corrected.