A vintage Wilf 'Squirrelman' Hutchinson book trough - circa 1960. It is an example of one of Wilf's early pieces with an old signature squirrel eating a little nut carved onto the top, right-hand side. The squirrel is facing in the opposite direction than they usually are on the Squirrelman book troughs, so it's possibly a bespoke-made piece for a customer that wanted to display it on a windowsill and have the squirrel looking out of the window. Very sweet, not seen another like this.
 
It has been carved in the manner of the early Robert 'Mouseman' Thompson book troughs in that the back and the bookshelf are adzed, not just the ends as seen with the later Mouseman and Squirrelman book troughs. Dating it to around 1960.
 
The condition is very good with no damage. The colour is a bit uneven and there's faint staining here and there, other than that it just has wear and tear commensurate with approximately 60 years of age and use. Probably one of the earliest book troughs that Wilf made.
 
The length measures 48 cm. The height 22 cm. The depth 19.5 cm.
 
Wilf 'Squirrelman' Hutchinson was one of Robert 'Mouseman' Thompson's craftsmen. He started working for Mouseman in 1951. He left in 1957 and set up his own workshop, adopting the little squirrel eating a nut as his signature. His work, especially his earlier pieces, has become very sought after by collectors, particularly his smaller items that display well, such as fruit bowls.
 
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