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Bottle 394 - Farmer in the Dell
Date Added: 01 January 2006

This is a very folksy and wonderfully detailed bottle whimsey made by Amos L. Beiler. The bottle, called "Farmer in the Dell," contains a country farm scene made from thin pieces of various colored and painted wood and small plastic farm pieces. The scene sits on 4 slats of wood glued to the bottom of the bottle. On the base is a farm house with silo built from sections of thin wood. The barn has a foundation with "stone" drawn on. It is red tinted with barn windows and doors drawn and painted on in blue tint. The roofs of the barn and silos are made from a darker wood. Behind the barn are 5 trees with green lines defining the branches. There are 2 birds flying around the barn each made from 2 pieces of wood tinted blue. In front of the barn is a wheelbarrow made from multiple pieces of wood. There is also a water pump with a red bucket underneath. There are 5 more trees like the 5 near the barn; 3 in front of the bottom base, one to the left (leaning over), and one in the back. In front of the barn are various plastic figures in different colors. There is a man shoveling in the wheelbarrow, a cow, dog, horse, pig, colt, and a sheep. There is also a long green plastic picket fence. There is a large wooden squirrel near the water pump and a wooden rabbit near the small tree in the rear with a blue plastic railed fence in front of the rabbit. The most dominant and impressive part of the whimsey is the huge tree that rises from the bottom to the top of the bottle. This tree is full of wonderfully carved shapes and sizes of flowers, foliage, birds, and so much more. There are 23 dogwood-like flowers each made from individual petals of wood glued together. The larger flowers have 6 petals each; the smaller ones have 5. The flowers are in combinations of light, dark wood and tints of blue and red. There are 14 leaves on the tree. Midway up on the tree are 2 large birds. Both birds have a one piece carved body and tail in light wood with wings of a darker color glued on. The bird to the left has a tail that was carved in a fan shape with 6 interlocking tail fan feathers. The other bird's tail is made from long thin sections curled in a half circle on the end. Further up the tree from the birds is a very detailed monkey carved from a peach pit. Above the monkey and to the left is an owl made from a thin piece of wood with darker wooden wings glued on. The owl's face is drawn on and there is a large white plastic ring around each eye. The backside of the bottle exposes the way the pieces were glued and fitted together and on the base in the middle the name of the maker "A.L. Beiler" is written in pencil. The bottle is sealed with a cork and on top of the cork is another pedestal flower which is the way A. L. Beiler sealed all his bottles. The following information was provided by the seller: "This bottle was custom made for my father, Mr. Chisena, who had a few restaurants named "Farmer in the Dell." One of the restaurants was in West Chester, Pa. and three others in Delaware (Naaman's Rd - Wilmington, Glasgow and Prices Corner) in the 1970's & '80's. Each restaurant had many original antiques and unique items on display. Signed by wonderful Amish man: A.L. Beiler. This bottle was given to him by another West Chester artist who was friends with Mr. Beiler and had it made for Mr. Chisena as a gift."
Type: Wooden Whimsey   Maker's Name: Beiler, Amos
Category: Whimsey   Made Where: Lancaster County, PA
Bottle Size: 13" x 7 1/2"   Year Made: 1970's
Bottle Type: Lt. Green One Gallon Unidentified  

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