Owl still bank c. 1800

This Owl still bank was made anonymously out of carved wood. Its form is simple, almost blocky, but you can clearly recognize the owl perched on a tree stump. The two halves, held together with fixings, form a cavity for storing coins. Notice the way the wood grain runs throughout the sculpture; it has been respected by the maker and incorporated into the owl’s form. The surface is textured, and there are traces of paint, suggesting it was once brightly colored. We can only speculate about the maker’s circumstances, but this was likely someone with a personal connection to the material. We can also imagine that the production of this kind of utilitarian object demanded more hours of work than its value as a money bank suggests. The fact that this piece is now in a museum reminds us that value is not just about money, but about time, skill, and the stories that objects can tell.