Wooden bottom-whorl-spindle with sheet metal hook from San Nicandro Garganico, a town in Foggia, Apulia region, Southeast Italy. Length 9,84"; whorl diameter 1,81".
It is similar to Greek spindles as South Italy is influenced by Greek traditions. Only the whorl is different. It is sculptured perfectly rounded, a feature never seen in Greek whorls.
Spindle from Lombardy. Wood. 19th century. Length: 11".
Spindles with wooden whorl and iron hook from Apulia. Lengths: 10.6" and 8.26". Whorl diameter (both): 1.6". Carving marks at the top of the (otherwise turned) spindle shaft of the shorter spindle suggest that it may have been broken, shortened and again provided with an iron hook.
Wooden spindles from Cuneo (Coni in Piedmontese) in Piedmont, c. 1900-1910. Lengths: 10.62" and 12.79". These spindles from the north-west of Italy are influenced by French spindle forms (the Piedmont is adjacent to France), but also by spindles from the Balkan (Bulgaria, Romania).
Spindle from the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, Piedmont. Length: 11.9".
Double-whorl-spindle with metal hook from Bannatella, Sicily. Length of the spindle: 13" (with hook); whorl diameters: 1.8" and 2.5".
Wooden spindle with bone and wood whorls with metal hook from Enna, Sicily. 18th century. Length (with hook): 8.6”. Diameter of the wood whorl: 1.3”; Dm. Bone whorls: 1”.
Spindle turned from one piece of wood with metal hook from Fermo, Marche region. Length: 11.8“.
Triangular spindle rack (Ital. porta fusi) from Carrù (Cuneo province, Piedmont) with 20 spindles of light and dark wood. 19th century. Spindle rack: length of base = 19.88", height = 20", length of the side pieces = 22.44". Length of spindles: 9" to 12.6".
An old French postcard shows an elderly woman spinning. Beside her on the table there is a spindle rack with nineteen more spindles.
Heavy, iron wire or shoemaker´s spindle with central whorl and twisted shaft. The spindle shaft seems to be broken at the lower end. The ring-shaped spindle whorl is decorated on both sides with two rows of dots. In some dots are remains of gold inlay (or gold-colored inlay) (Detailed picture with two microscope images with 50x and 235x magnification). Weight: 406.20 g (14.32 oz.); preserved length: 16.14"; whorl diameter: 4.52".
It is possible that this spindle was once mounted horizontally (see image).
Stereoscopic card showing a woman from Naples spinning with a double-whorl-spindle, c. 1900.
Women spinning wool in the small commune of Torre Pellice in the Province of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont. c. 1907-1915. Torre Pellice was the capital of the three historic Waldensian valleys (Val Pellice, Val Chisone and Valle Germanasca) and is the centre of the Waldensian church.
Woman from Carnico, Province of Udine, region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, spinning with a drop spindle. 1936.
Woman from Scanno in the Abruzzo (Southern Italy) spinning with a bottom-whorl-spindle.
Woman spinning with a double-whorl-spindle. Photo by Georgio Conrad, Naples. 1870´s.
Frau aus Civiasco beim Spinnen. Valsesia, Provinz Vercelli, Region Piemont.
Postcard made out of cork from Orgosolo, Sardinia. Woman with top-whorl-spindle. The spindle is brought to speed by rubbing up the thigh.
Neapel – Italienerin mit Fußspindel und kurzem Spinnrocken.
Burcei, Cagliari Province, Sardinia – spinning with a double-whorl spindle.
