Rare Set of Irish Hand Carved Bog Oak Napkin Rings, mid Nineteenth Century, each with hand carved decoration of trailing shamrocks, harps, scrolls and an Irish Wolfhound.
Condition: Very good condition. A set of six is rare to find. Height: 1" (2.5cm). Diam: 1.75" (4.5cm).
Item Sold
Irish Bog Oak wood is a rare timber which is excavated from deep underground, usually as a by-product of turf cutting, or when bogland is drained for agricultural use. The wood varies in age, usually ranging between 2,000 and 6,000 years old, The wood has been preserved due to the unique conditions of the Turf bogs in Ireland which waterlog the wood and keep it free from oxygen and sunlight which would cause it to decay. The chemistry of the Bog also reacts with the wood and transforms it's colour. Bog Oak is usually jet black, but occasionally a very dark brown. Throughout the Nineteenth Century and later many decorative items such as small furniture, Writing Slopes Book Slides and Ladies Jewellery, always with distinctive hand carved Irish subjests. This is a rare set of Napkin Rings offered in good condition.