Museum – Distaff And Distaff Holder With Adjustable System – Folk Art – Auvergne

Mid-19th century France – Haute-Loire, Auvergne A distaff and its attendant, carved from fruit wood weathered by time, carry within them the memory of the rural home—that of long evenings, silent gestures, and winter evenings punctuated by spinning. The attendant, firmly erected on its cross-shaped base, holds the slender stem of the distaff thanks to an ingenious lever mechanism, allowing its height to be adjusted according to the size or posture of the spinner. Each surface is entirely carved with a knife, with the regularity of a patient craftsman: chevrons, crossbars, wolf teeth, and trees of life punctuate the wood like a prayer. These motifs, simple and full of meaning, are not merely decorative—they speak of protection, fertility, perseverance, and faith. The top of the distaff, openwork with intertwined circles, crosses and hearts, evokes a world where manual work and spirituality merge, where the gesture becomes almost devotion. An object of women's daily life, a companion of thread and time, the distaff exceeded its function to become a sign of attachment, sometimes offered by a fiancé to his fiancée - a discreet testimony of a bond woven over time. The marks of use, the discreet chips, the deep patina tell of a life of usefulness, care and affection. Here, wood is not only material: it retains the warmth of a presence, the memory of the hands that shaped it, the trace of an era when the useful still knew how to be beautiful. Small accident at the knob, stable surface. Adjustable height of the whole: 90 to 130 cm Height of the distaff alone: 80 cm ALL DELIVERIES ARE MADE BY DHL EXPRESS ONLY.