Gouden beeldje van een engeltje die op een Arreslede stond.

Horse sleigh decoration.

In the past, wealthy families had a special type of sleigh, a arreslee.
During harsh winters, this sleigh was pulled by horses over snow and ice for pleasure trips. These sleighs were often owned by wealthy and affluent families.

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“In the past, wealthy people travelled in horse-drawn sleighs; today, they do so in Porsches.”
André Groeneveld
Conservator Zuiderzeemuseum

Apart from pricker sledges and push sleighs, you would also see large horse-drawn sleighs on the ice, owned by well-off families. This is a type of sledge we might come across in Friesland or in West Friesland. On the front of the sleigh we see a beautifully carved and gilded statuette – this was often a lion with the family’s coat of arms. The ornament shown here represents a child-mermaid with a trumpet.

From het Jacket to de Scale model of the Hollandse tjalk Berend. Discover the online collection of the Zuiderzeemuseum.