Spinning top

Spinning top

Pieces made of beech wood. This is a children's toy, a spinning top. It consists of two pieces, a wooden handle with which the spinning top is held before throwing it, and the spinning top itself. When you hold it by the handle and pull hard on the string, the spinning top spins quickly and the handle can be detached. Both the spinning top and the handle are decorated with decorative bands made with a texturing gouge (forming a series of triangles and oblique lines), and painted in black, yellow, white and green)

708

craftedobjects

2020s

iain

Asturian,Spanish

Physical Object

460

Peonza

02/07/2025

Graña García, A. (1985) La tornería en el occidente asturiano. Museo Etnográfico de Grandas de Salime https://www.instagram.com/picutorneru/

10 (handle), 5 (spinning top)cm x 2.5 max. (handle), 2,5-5 (spinning top)cm x 7 (spinning top)cm

current,43.3335411671039,-5.5446023832244;

TEXT

https://culturality.museum/wiki/index.php/Spinning_top

Beech wood, natural pigments, cotton thread

Cultural

woodwork

Electric wood turning lathe, gouges and texturing tools

La Castañal, Bimenes, Asturias, Spain

The wood used in the production of these objects comes from dry wood recovered from forests around the workshop

The object was made on a continuous electric lathe. Once the piece of wood is selected, rough shaping is done using an electric planer or an adze to create a preform. The piece is then turned on the lathe using gouges to rough out and shape it to the desired profile. Holes for the handle mechanism and the spinning top are drilled with the help of drills.

The object is a children's toy and a piece of art

The craftsman creates these objects as a hobby. He keeps them if he likes the result, gives them as gifts, or sells them

The production scale is limited because the artisan crafts these pieces during their free time

The object is crafted using the woodturning technique, a craft with a long history in northern Spain. The shapes are reminiscent of the bowls and containers made by Asturian turners for domestic use (consumption and preservation of food). However, this piece is an original creation by the artisan

UNIOVI_AR_04