Vintage c.1960s Hand-Painted Metal Telescope Lady Balancing Figure double sided

50 cm tall

10 cm wide main body

Vintage c.1960s Hand-Painted Metal Telescope Lady Balancing Figure double sided.

A wonderfully quirky vintage hand-painted metal balancing figure, probably dating from around the 1960s, depicting an elegantly dressed lady peering through a telescope.

Cut from metal and individually hand painted, the figure has enormous character. She wears a fitted deep red jacket above a striking yellow and cream striped skirt, finished with a dramatic dark hat and sweeping blue-green feather. Fine painted details to the face, hands, clothing and telescope give the piece its charming folk-art appearance, while the slightly irregular brushwork is all part of its handmade appeal.

The figure forms part of a traditional counterweighted balancing or kinetic ornament. Beneath her feet is a forked balancing point, while the long curved metal arm terminates in a substantial spherical counterweight. When mounted on its appropriate support, this arrangement allows the figure to gently rock and sway while remaining balanced — a simple but rather clever piece of kinetic design. A closely matching example is described as a vintage 1960s balancing sculpture using the same weighted-ball principle.

The hand-painted surface has developed plenty of genuine vintage character, with rubbing, small areas of paint loss, scratches, marks and age-related wear visible throughout. There is also surface oxidation and wear to the black metalwork. We have deliberately left these signs of age untouched, as they suit the wonderfully timeworn, folk-art character of the piece.

Please note that no separate display stand/base is shown with this example and none is included unless otherwise stated. It is therefore being offered as a decorative vintage balancing figure/component in its present condition.

A particularly unusual piece for a collection of vintage toys, folk art, nautical curiosities or kinetic objects — and equally good simply displayed as a wonderfully eccentric decorative object.

Date: Circa 1960s

Material: Hand-painted metal

Subject: Lady with telescope / nautical explorer

Style: Folk art / kinetic balancing ornament

Condition: Vintage condition with age-related paint loss, rubbing, scratches, surface marks and oxidation. Please study photographs carefully as these form part of the description.