A Delightful Early 20thC Carved Wooden Polychrome Fairground Luftwaffe HE111 Aeroplane From a Round Spinner Stall
SOLD
Origin: English
Period: Early / Mid Twentieth Century
Provenance: Unknown
Date: c.1930-40
Length: 29 inches
Width: 44 inches (Wingspan)
The German fleet World War II period Heinkle He (He111) aeroplane, hand carved and polychrome painted with the distinctive fully glazed bullet or fishbowl nose, with the black German straight-armed Balkenkreuz livery, the stylised version of the Iron Cross to the underside of the wings hailing from a British fairground.
In as found original condition, the plane has a fair amount of loss making it very evocative and charming but there are obvious parts missing like part of the tail and the propellers.
A round stall favourite, the spinner was based on the popular 19th century game, Wheel of Fortune. At the centre of the stall a long arm span horizontally around the inner perimeter of the circle and when the arm stopped the person to which its end pointed was entitled to a prize. Spinner stalls were more elaborate than those not fitted out as such, for example, on the arms were beautifully carved figures of chariots, animals, and in this case, aeroplanes or a mixed military theme.
This unique piece proves to be an utterly charming fragment of fairground memorabilia and one that would hang or mount well in a child’s bedroom or provide a refreshingly different decorative effect elsewhere.