A new record has been set for the most expensive Dala horse sold at auction. On 21 February, the little wooden horse was sold for an astonishing SEK 300,000 (£26,100) at Swedish auction house Dalarnas Auktionsbyrå. Erkmats Erik Olsson (1814-1883) carved the 15.5 centimetre-high wooden horse with a rider on its back in 1836, and it had been kept in Olsson's family ever since.
An earlier record for the world's most expensive Dala horse was set in 2015 at Dalarnas Auktionsbyrå when an original painted Dala horse, called the Bodahästen, from the 19th century sold for SEK 170,000 (£12,580), 500% above the estimated price.
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The production of Dala horses is believed to have begun in the 17th century in the Swedish village of Bergkarlås, as well as in the nearby villages of Risa, Vattnäs and Nusnäs. The villages were known for their furniture carpentry and it is probable that the remains of wood were used in the production of Dala horses as children's toys.
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Due to economic difficulties during the 19th century, the production of Dala horses increased and they became an important form of income for inhabitants of the area.
Many of the early Dala horses were not painted. It was not until the beginning of the 19th century that they began to be decorated, often in monochrome red or white. Eventually, the Dala horses were more intricately painted in white, yellow and blue patterns.
When Dala horses were shown at the World's Fair in Paris in 1937 and the New York World's Fair in 1939, demand increased and mass production began. The 1930s mark the beginning of a new era for the Dala horse, from a child's toy to a national symbol of Sweden and a popular souvenir. Today, the Dala horse is one of the most common symbols of Sweden and especially of traditional Swedish folk culture.
