C.W. Parker - Horse
Catalog #013 150×120×24cm
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A full-size carved wooden outside row jumper attributed by the owner to the C.W. Parker Amusement Company (reported), and consistent in every visible characteristic with that attribution. The horse is posed in a full extended jump — all four legs airborne, body stretched — with a tucked head position, mouth open showing teeth, and a flowing windswept white mane. The body is painted a warm palomino/golden tone with white stockings on all four legs. This is a "flowered" Parker — the romance side carries an exceptionally dense decorative program of carved floral garlands with dark green leaves and multicolored flowers (pink, yellow, purple, orange) cascading from the neck through the breast and across the saddle area. Glass cabochon jewels in red, amber, blue, and clear are studded throughout the romance side — on the bridle, breast strap, and along the scalloped lower edge of the saddle blanket. The bridle features a carved bow at the breast strap. A carved pink rosebud sits at the cantle. The blue saddle blanket drapes in fabric-like folds with silver S-curve trim. The non-romance side is dramatically plainer: the same blue blanket and pink seat but without floral garlands, jewels, or carved detail — only a simple bridle with a round green rosette at the cheekpiece. This strong romance/non-romance differentiation is standard for American carnival-style production. The owner describes this as "a very pretty horse."
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Acquired from a West Coast dealer, Jim Aten (reported). The owner states this dealer partnered with someone named "Rusty" and that they dealt together (reported). No date, price, or further acquisition details were provided. Neither name has been located in specialist carousel dealer sources through independent research.
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Unknown. The owner states directly that the provenance is not known (reported). No prior institutional, carousel-of-origin, or collection history has been established. The machine this horse originally operated on has not been identified.
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The C.W. Parker Amusement Company operated from Abilene, Kansas (1894–1911) and Leavenworth, Kansas (1911–1955), producing approximately 1,000 carousels (sourced: Wikipedia). Around 1914, Parker introduced the stretched-leg, long-bodied form that became his most recognized horse style; by 1917 most older designs had been phased out (sourced). The tucked head and fully extended pose of this figure place it firmly in this later Leavenworth design vocabulary. By 1925 the factory began replacing carved wooden horses with cast aluminum figures (sourced), establishing a terminal date for wooden production. The wood construction of this horse therefore dates it to the c. 1917–1925 window (inferred from sourced records).
Parker horses are identifiable by several documented factory practices. Parker placed his identifying mark, "C.W. Parker, Leavenworth, Kan," on the bottom of most horseshoes, which are separate metal shoes on all but the smallest ponies (sourced). The silver-painted hooves visible in the photographs are consistent with Parker's metal horseshoes, though stamping has not yet been confirmed by physical inspection. Parker's standard cantle carvings included hound's heads, roses, tobacco leaves, bull horns, fish, shields, and ears of corn (sourced) — the rose at this figure's cantle falls within that documented range.
The "flowered" decoration program on this horse — dense garlands of carved flowers with dark green foliage across the romance side — represents the more elaborate end of Parker's decorative vocabulary. Flowered horses are described by specialist dealers as "always hard to come by" (sourced: Carousel Workshop). A comparable example described as a Parker outer-row flowered jumper from the 1920s–1930s was listed with roses on the cantle and poppies on the romance side (sourced: Carousel Workshop). The multicolored flower clusters visible on this figure — along with the round glass cabochons and leaf clusters — are consistent with that documented type.
Parker outside-row jumpers with jewels and elaborate carving appear regularly on the specialist dealer market. AntiqueCarousels.com has listed comparable restored examples: a c. 1920 flowered jumper with jewels and tucked head at $32,500; a c. 1918 rose-cantle jumper at $49,000–$66,000; a c. 1917 eagle jumper at $34,000 (sourced: AntiqueCarousels.com). These are dealer asking prices, not confirmed hammer prices at auction. At auction, Parker horses have realized a wider range depending on condition, row position, and decoration — middle-row examples have sold for substantially less, while elaborately decorated outer-row examples with strong restorations command the upper range (sourced: LiveAuctioneers).
This is the second figure attributed to this manufacturer in the collection; the other (ID: 006) retains its original park paint surface, providing an instructive comparison between unrestored and restored examples from the same factory.
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Professionally restored. The paint surface is exceptionally smooth and even throughout, with vibrant, saturated colors and no visible cracking, crazing, wood separation, or patina consistent with age. This is a thorough restoration — no trace of original or in-service paint remains visible. Glass jewels appear complete and intact on the romance side. The carved floral garlands show no visible losses. Restorer is not identified (pending owner follow-up). The tail appears to be carved wood, intact. All four hooves are present with silver-painted shoes.
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High. Attribution to C.W. Parker is reported by the owner and independently supported by visible characteristics: stretched jumper form, tucked head, flowered decoration program, round glass cabochons, rose cantle carving, metal horseshoes, and strong romance/non-romance differentiation. Horseshoe stamping has not been confirmed by physical inspection, which would move the confidence to High. Provenance is entirely unknown.
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Owner interview transcript (undated; provided with photographs)
Photographs: twelve images (six pairs), covering non-romance side, romance side, romance side close-up of head/neck, and full romance side with measuring tape. Dated 8/20/2025
Independent web research: C.W. Parker company history, production characteristics, factory identification features, specialist dealer listings, auction records
Specialist sources consulted: AntiqueCarousels.com, Carousel Workshop, CarouselHistory.com (via Kansas Sampler Foundation), MPF Conservation, C.W. Parker Carousel Museum records, Wikipedia, Hagley Museum finding aids
Dealer verification: searched for "Jim Aten" and "Rusty" as carousel dealers — no results in specialist sources