The blanket chest was aged and lovely, but the image painted on it was even more impressive.
It was more than just a chest for storing blankets; it was folk art, created by someone with talented hands who wanted to honor the 1938 accomplishments of Jesse Owens, who won four track and field gold medals in the Berlin Olympics. Owens shattered Adolf Hitler’s plan to show off his supposedly Aryan superiority at the Games.
The painted wood chest was sold at auction recently. The auction house had no information about the artist or the origin of the chest. Googling, I could not find anything, either. The same chest – there couldn’t have been more than one – was shown on the website of an antiques shop – no date with sale pending. It sold for $800 at the recent auction.
Owens was unmatched in his track and field abilities, and was one of the country’s most famous athletes. He is shown on the top of the chest in a sprint pose, his accomplishments are painted in red and gold on the front, and the United States and 1938 Berlin Olympics flags are on the side.
I’d love to know more about this chest.
