Wooden Butter Scoop Appraisal

Hand-Painted Folk Art Wooden Butter Scoop

This item is a vintage-to-antique utilitarian wooden scoop, likely a butter or grain scoop, that has been repurposed as a decorative folk art canvas. Constructed from a single piece of carved hardwood, the scoop features a wide, flared bowl with a curved back and a thick, integrated handle. The interior of the bowl demonstrates substantial surface area decorated with an oil-based hand painting. The artwork depicts a cluster of red floral blossoms, possibly geraniums or berries, set against a dark, muddy green background with hints of a landscape or barn structure in the upper left. The handle is chunky and exhibits a faceted, hand-carved finish, maintaining much of its original aged wood patina. Condition-wise, the piece shows significant signs of age and historical use. There is a prominent horizontal crack or check running along the left side of the bowl, typical of old wood drying over time. The paint exhibits craquelure throughout, with some minor flaking and abrasions to the pigment, particularly near the edges. The edges of the wood are worn and softened. While no maker's mark is visible from this angle, the style of the carving and the folk-painting technique suggests a late 19th-century to early 20th-century origin, possibly European (Scandinavian or German) or North American farm-origin. The quality of the carving is rustic but solid, emphasizing its original functional purpose before it became a decorative object.