Sleigh with the Ryhiner and Faesch Coats of Arms

Description

This elegant sleigh dating from ca. 1780 has been beautifully preserved in its original state. The upholstery has been renewed, but otherwise nothing has changed. The seat is made of a single piece of wood, carved to look like the body of a swan. The runners, which are patterned with carved braiding in the style of the Louis XVI period, end in a swan’s head. Various mythologies cast the swan as an exceptionally powerful beast, making it a common choice of sleigh motif.
The coats of arms of two Basel families, the Ryhiners and the Faesches, are blazoned on the side. The sleigh is thought to have belonged to Johann Rudolf Faesch (1755–1807) and his wife Margaretha Ryhiner-Faesch (1763–1820). Drawn by a single horse, it was used for festive sleigh rides and carousels, when the lady sat in the sleigh and the man steered the horse from the little seat mounted at the rear.