PHOTO BY RIMAS ZAILSKAS
Paul Rifkin was searching for a particularly rare breed of horse. Not a quarter horse or a pacer — those are bred for the trail or the straightaway. No, this horse would run no race. It was, in fact, wooden…a creation of the acknowledged master of hand-carved carousel animals, Gustav Dentzel.
“Finding a Dentzel animal is like finding a Tiffany lamp. If you want a carousel animal, that’s what you want to get,” explains Rifkin, an avid collector and dealer of what can be best described as highly unusual and eclectic antiques.
Dentzel, a German immigrant, came to America in 1860, settled in Philadelphia, and began building carousels and hand carving the animals to adorn them. Over the years, Dentzel animals, along with those fashioned by the German and Italian immigrant craftsmen in his workshop, have become highly desired collectibles, prized for their fine detail and craftsmanship.
In 1977, Rifkin’s quest for his Dentzel led him to Philadelphia, where an intact 1890s vintage Dentzel carousel had been purchased by Leon Perelman, a wealthy collector. Perelman discovered the carousel — the oldest known Dentzel operating at the time — in Orange, VA. He planned to restore the carousel and set it up in Philadelphia, but became frustrated with the city bureaucracy. Perelman resolved to break it down and sell the individual animals to interested collectors.
On learning this, Paul and two friends drove up to the City of Brotherly Love with high expectations. “When we got there, Mr. Perelman had decided that he didn’t want to sell the animals individually; he wanted to sell the whole carousel. He asked $60,000 for it and I didn’t have the money to buy it, but my buddies did. So I bought just one of the animals — the horse.”
Rifkin selected a standing horse, one that remained stationary on the carousel, a type much preferred by collectors: larger than those that go up and down and much more rare. A fine specimen, Rifkin’s horse has many of the signature features of a Dentzel. It’s a powerful looking animal, but tempered with a gentle face — one that wouldn’t frighten younger riders.
“There was a spirit in his horses that drew kids to them. With some of the other carousel carvers, the animals have a fight in their eyes; they were like wild mustangs. A little intimidating. Dentzel had a way of producing the horses with sweetness. You recognize it right away,” says Rifkin.
The superior craftsmanship and naturalistic detail found in a Dentzel is evident in the horse’s windblown mane and the finely articulated veins carved into the horse’s legs. According to Rifkin, Dentzel didn’t leave much to the imagination. He carved his animals with great finesse.
When Rifkin found his prize, however, it wasn’t in the best shape. Like many other turn-of-the-century carousel animals, the ravages of time, exposure and lack of maintenance had taken their toll. To undo the damage, Rifkin shipped the stallion to friends in South Carolina, a couple who specialize in refurbishing carousel animals. There, they stripped off its many layers of paint, took out the wood filler and screws that held the legs and other parts on, carefully doweled it all back together and repainted it. The result: a magnificently restored example of Dentzel’s art.
The horse is not the only Dentzel animal that Rifkin currently owns; he has a giraffe with its original paint. Other animals in his menagerie include a goat and camel, which, although not Dentzel’s, reflect the pervasive craftsmanship that carousel artisans put into their work in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
For many years, the Dentzel horse has enjoyed a place of honor in Rifkin’s home, but, given its size and the abundance of antiques and treasures Rifkin has collected, the time has come for the stallion to move on.
Having cherished his company for decades, Rifkin is now considering retiring the noble steed. “I’d like to see it go into somebody else’s home, where it can be enjoyed. I’ve had my fun with it. Now it’s time to send it out to pasture.”
