Lot 221
Charles Dare Carousel Lion
American, Country Fair Style. Older restoration.
Charles Dare (starting in 1870) is considered by many to be the second earliest carousel carver, ranking only behind the Dentzel studio which began three years earlier. Dare's simplistic carvings gave rise to the term "Country Fair Style". The Charles Dare Lion is one of the rarest of all carousel carvings. One figure, from the Birch Hill Game Farm Carousel, was pictured in Carrousel Art in 1979. A second Dare lion is pictured on page 177 of "Painted Ponies" by William Mann, Peggy Shank and Marianne Stevens. The lion being offered here is only the third known to exist. This lion - and the privately-owned collection from which it comes - was described in depth in The Carousel News & Trader, October, 1989. At that time, the lion was being displayed at the Stamford Museum (Connecticut).
Dimensions: 58” x 60”
Estimate: $30,000 - $40,000