Slovenian Painted Beehive Panel, late 19th / early 20th Century

Painted beehive panels, or poslikane panjske končnice in Slovenian, were used to decorate and identify individual beehives within larger communal vertical beehives.

They are often decorated with religious scenes or folk tales. In this larger example the action is divided into two distinct scenes: on the left an older man is carrying his wife in a basket on his shoulders and the devil is then shown throwing her down a well. In the scene on the right the couple is shown young again: the man is now offering a bunch of flowers to his beloved.

38.8 x 19.5

To read more about the beehive panels: https://www.worldofinteriors.com/story/painted-beehive-panels-slovenia