This is an 8" by 10" original painting -just completed-inspired by the work of the Pennsylvania German Fraktur artists. It is done on distressed paper to give it an aged appearance. It is framed under glass. The designer frame measures approximately 11" by 13'. You can purchase it for yourself on my ETSY site.
A distelfink is a goldfinch, literally a "thistle finch," and they most closely resemble a
European variety . There's a debate as to whether the drawn birds are just decorative (a passing down of imagery) or actually symbolic. The latter camps says they represent happiness and good fortune, and I'm inclined to stick with that. Distelfinks accompany hearts, angels, and tulips as decorative elements in Frakur, a type of illuminated folk art that recorded major life events such births, baptisms, and weddings. Primarily Lutheran and Reformed church members created these manuscripts, which were usually family-focused and religious.
