What a great bucket boasting black paint that would fit in perfectly with either Autumn or Halloween decorating and the good news is this offering also includes the three gourds and dried corn cob! I do try to pamper you and this gathering is ready to go and display once received. You don't have to hunt for the gourds as I made sure that each one chosen would be a nice fit for the large opening, all nestled together and happy as can be!
I truly like painted black pieces because when you add color the contrast is striking! This antique large staved bucket has fabulous wear inside and would be perfect for a buttery! There is one metal band located at the top and two rolled wire bands below that hold the staves together. Some copper hammered rivets were positioned strategically to keep the band in place as shown in image 23 & 22. Two plain rivets can be seen near the overlapped metal band at the top to secure this well made beauty! Small metal brads help position and sturdy the rolled wire and this piece is very strong! None of the staves wiggle or have any play at all!
At one point this bucket did have a lid as detected by the incised groves near the top. "All the better", because now we can utilize this open space for either a Christmas tree, root vegetables, pumpkins or whatever you choose!
The bail handle sports a wonderful worn surface in all the right places and is held in place by a round piece of strong wire on each side. There are a couple places as referenced in images 12 & 14 where the bucket has small chips out of the wood. These are limited to the bottom edge. However there is one more area near the stave in the middle of the bucket that has a small sliver missing.
On the inside of the bottom edge there is one more larger chip of wood missing referenced in image 20. If you look at image 10 there is a small drip of paint on the outside surface in an aqua green color. These little infractions are commonplace with pieces this old however the integrity is not compromised in any way. No apologies here, built to last and boy it sure did! This is one heavy piece!
You will also receive, as stated above, one canteen gourd, two warty gourds and a dried piece of corn. I filled this bucket with shredded newspaper to get the height I wanted and added some old homespun on the top. You can use wadded newspaper or plastic shopping bags too, then just add your favorite piece of fabric, possibly burlap, place the gourds on top and wha~la, instant Autumn! You can use corn stalks inside as well! Whatever you choose, I am sure you will have fun using this primitive bucket as a unique decorating piece in your beautiful homestead! I have taken several pictures of this bucket in different settings so you can see how versatile it really is, even in Springtime as shown in image 24. Enjoy!
The bucket stands approximately 18" tall including the bail handle, 11 1/2" Tall without the bail handle measurement, 11 1/4" across the top opening & 13 1/4" across the bottom.