continuing my countdown of the top 10 things i'll miss about sweden, this is #9: the noble dala horse. they are everywhere in the tourist areas, and nowhere in the "high" art settings. i find it to be a shame that they've been scuttled to the realm of not-quite kitsch but definitely not-quite serious, either--i'm not even sure if swedes have them in their own houses. perhaps the realm of craft is better for it, but there seems to be room for the dalahäst beyond its role in material culture.
it dates from roughly 400 years ago, yet its shape has retained essentially its original nature and its decoration has changed little (ahem, russian icons, anyone? it was unfashionable to change the eyes, face, composition, colors, anything about the madonna and child for 700 years!). anyway, enough of that--this stocky, ungraceful little beast makes me smile everytime i see one, therefore it is one of my 10 most to-be-missed. that being said, we've acquired quite a few to keep us company in iowa...
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