Clash - 1840 Hand Crafted For Royalty Germany - CCR890

A Barouche/Calash, developed from the calash of the 18th century, was a fashionable type of horse-drawn carriage in the 19th century. It was a four-wheeled, shallow vehicle with two double seats inside, arranged so that the sitters on the front seat faced those on the back seat. It had a collapsible half-hood folding like a bellows over the back seat and an outside box seat high in front for the driver. The entire carriage was suspended on C springs. It was drawn by a pair of high-quality horses and was used principally for leisure driving in the summer.

A light barouche was a barouchet or barouchette. A four-wheeled calash to be drawn by a pair. The word barouche is an anglicisation of the German word barutsche, via the Italian baroccio or biroccio and ultimately from the Latin birotus, "two-wheeled". The name thus became a misnomer, as the later form of the carriage had four wheels. Calash The earlier carriage type, called calash or caleche, was also a light carriage with small wheels, inside seats for four passengers, a separate driver's seat and a folding top. A folding calash top was a feature of two other types: the chaise, a two-wheeled carriage for one or two persons, a body hung on leather straps or thorough-braces, usually drawn by one horse; and a victoria, a low four-wheel pleasure carriage for two with a raised seat in front for the driver. In Quebec, Canada, calç¨che refers to a two-wheeled horse-drawn vehicle with or without a folding top and with a driver's seat on the splashboard.

This rare calash hand built in Germany in 1840 is one of a kind. It is a original one of a kind because it was built to some ones specific specifications fitted with sleigh runners for snow as well as wheels. ( we are told there is no other exactly like this one any were in the world )

This Calash was probably built for a wealthy european family or royalty. Evidenced by the fact this type of carriage required a driver. The top of this carriage is hand pitched genuine leather and is hand edged in solid brass. The cushions are probably original 1840, upon our inspection they were filled with straw and horsehair. The button tuck was all hand stitched in the same manor as we upholster today at Scottsdale Art Factory using master seamstress and leather smiths.

All of the wood for the body and fenders is hand steam bent old growth lumber and hand finished (including 5-8 coats of hand applied paint added over the original oil finish in different colors over the 168 years). Notice the sleigh runners are cut from one piece of old growth timber no joints or seams. The sleigh runners seem to be the original finish. The wheels were hand made from match grained hard wood and the forge iron was hand fitted to the expansion of the wheels.

All the wrought iron hubs and tread, iron parts,and sleigh runners were hand forged useing the only methods avaliable at the time in 1840. A anvil, hot forge, and the arm of a master blacksmith in the same way our master blacksmiths work today at Scottsdale Art Factory. Each connecting piece, springs, axles, hubs, breaks and lanterns etc. were also hand forged in the same manor. Proving once again that when it is built to world class quality it will always stand the test of time. In this case even though it was not cared for for many years.

Finish As Shown: Various Natural Wear And Tear Patina