1950s French “Coat Rack” Mid-Century Modern Colored Balls & Wrought Iron

Description

Once again the French get top honors in the Whimsy and Artistic categories!

The second I saw this my “gimmie” … more Once again the French get top honors in the Whimsy and Artistic categories!

The second I saw this my “gimmie” bells rang.

The solid wood balls, which are about 2 ¾ in diameter, screw off quite easily, and I’m guessing that the kids in this particular household screwed them off and used them for bowling balls down a long hallway. How else to explain the chips and dents? Actually, the denting is minor, but you can readily see that the paint (a very thick enamel) has met its fate.

Do you care? The French certainly don’t! I’ve seen many instances of chipped and dented (and worse) fetch high prices and change hands several times in minutes. It can get very exciting…

So, you can repaint the balls if you want, or leave them as testimonials to wayward youth. They’ll be covered up in short order by hats and coats anyway!

The wrought iron is solid, by the way, and in perfect condition. How about that twisted section?!! Each side has an “eye” at the top for affixing to the wall. You can see the one on the right in the photos.

Measurements: about 20 ½ inches wide, 8 ½ high, and it projects about 4 ¼ from the wall.

A “piéce de resistance,” nothing less! less