Birds of a feather... Icelandic bird help.

[sonomabarn67]

I bought this wonderful 19th/18th century European candle box with a poly-chromed and carved bird on the sliding lid. Did my searching and came up with the example that Christie's sold in 1999 where they identify it as "Possibly Icelandic" 18th cent., measuring 8" x 15" (the exact size of mine).

I think both of these boxes were made by the same hand with one being used on a grueling daily basis and one being used sparingly and then packed into a trunk (dowry?) which explains the pristine condition. I can find no others. Two questions;: what is the bird? And https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-1471140?ldp_breadcrumb=back&intObjectID=1471140&from=salessummary&... are there other examples of these Icelandic candle boxes hidden on the internet?

Thanks for any help/

[argon38]

The National Museum of Iceland would certainly know if there's a local connection (I'm sure they regularly deal with queries in English):

https://www.thjodminjasafn.is/english/the-national-museum/location/ 

[sonomabarn67]

Thanks, I just wonder then if the choice of predominate background color (red or blue) might lean to one country or the other. Mine has the red background and I always associate blue background rosemaling with Swedish or Norwegian. What a can of eels I've opened here. (public warning here-always cook your eels).

[sonomabarn67]

Thanks, I'll try that.

[sonomabarn67]

Having said that about the background, I found a bunch of red id'd as Swedish. 🤔