Italian Tole Handpainted Wood Looseleaf Binder - Floral Design

A wonderful handpainted Italian tole loose leaf binder - YES, a binder to hold notes, correspondence, what have you. First the outside probably dating to the 1950s or so. The wood piece is covered in a layer of gesso (that's the white you see peeking out from the design) and then handpainted with oils. To seal the piece, a layer of varnish was placed once the oil paints had dried. With luck, over time, the varnish took on a darker coloring giving it the "look" that is so coveted by collectors. Second, the interior - this part of the piece probably dates to the 1960s. The inside binder has 3 metal rings and is covered in a stunning wine colored brocade and features 2 pockets - one on either side. The spine of the binder appears to be a thin leather or faux leather which has been embellished with metal studs.  The binder is 12" high x 9-1/2" wide. Inside depth is about 2-1/4".

With all things old, and the delicate nature of gesso, the piece not only has a patina to the varnish but a bit of chippiness adding to the shabby chic-ness look. The entire look is pure beauty! There is one small tear in the leather on the spine edge (pictured). It's not a big tear and it does blend in well with the piece so you might not be able to spot it at first.

Use as it was meant (hold your favorite recipes - photos - love letters) or just use as a background display to a collection of other tole pieces. It's just a fabulous find - I mean, when was the last time YOU saw a tole covered binder? (And check out the other pieces (last photo) I have in my shop!)