Got milk? This beautiful and amazing late 19th to turn of the century German cow can certainly provide plenty of that silky white liquid as she comes from good stock! She sports a hide covered body with remarkable detail that expresses each curve, rib cage, hind quarters along with “stick leg” construction that is also commonly found in the Putz sheep variety.
The hand painted facial features include bold eye highlights, along with a brush stroke of whimsy for her nose and mouth done in jet black. Glass eyes seem to follow you wherever you go that render a main focal point and delightful element! Her horns were fashioned from authentic horn that was probably heated to comply with the scale of her head. The right horn is not as tall as the left and a tiny portion of it may have broken off at one point in time. There is also some separation in the hide just below her chin area as shown in image 11.
Her leather ears are intact and so is her original leather collar boasting a bell so she does not get lost. She really does look lifelike and a tremendous amount of effort and time was spent to create such a beautiful piece. This moo cow has a mechanism inside that would allow the child to tilt her head to the left to render a “moo” sound. Though this feature no longer works her vivid presentation should make up for this shortcoming.
Her tail has a combination of hide and horsehair construction which lends even more realism to this outstanding piece! She is missing one utter but the other two are intact as shown in image 18. What I favor the most about this piece is her tilting head feature which gives her plenty of personality….almost as if she is watching and waiting for the farmer to bring the milking stool in the early morn!
The cheerful red painted platform base sporting four wheels is intact without any chips or top cracks to report even though there is a small fisher located at the very bottom. Image 25 reflects a hint of the construction process referencing a straight peg at the back of her hoof that recesses down into the base lending strength and durability to support the cows body. All hoofs have this feature. The wheels were added inside the wooden slots located on the base rather than on the outside edge which is commonly found on other pull toy varieties.
This extraordinary piece is in very good condition for it’s age, thank goodness and can now reside as a retired toy in your lovely home! I can envision this piece set out for the holidays on a table laden with fresh greens intertwined with sparkling lights that will feature this piece and give it the importance it deserves! Smaller pull toy farm animals such as horses or sheep can accompany this presentation placed nearby lending glorious results! This cow can also be placed on a blanket chest perhaps in your bedroom sprinkled with other old toys such as bears, old tops or children’s books set around it. You certainly will have to smile every time you round the corner and see this precious cow greet you sporting a friendly and warm face! Enjoy!
Cow pull toy stands 8 ½” tall from her head to the bottom of the wheels, measures 7 ½” tall in the rear location, cow only (by itself) measures 10 ½” across from her nose to her tail, measures 7 ¾” tall from the top of her head to the bottom of her foot, measures 7” tall from her tail to the platform base and measures 2 ¼” across her rear which is the widest point. Platform base measures 11 ¼” across (front to back), measures 3 ¾” (deep) and stands 3/8” tall.
~Freight (Standard Mail) included, however Insurance is optional and can be purchased @ checkout ~ within the continental U.S.
