Vintage Hand-Painted Folk Art Plaque — West Berlin, 1980

Found on a slow afternoon along Suarezstraße in Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, West Berlin’s quietly iconic street of antique shops and hidden gems. Hand-painted on solid pine, this oversized paddle-shaped plaque is dated 1980 and decorated with delicate florals—narcissus and bleeding hearts—set against a rich, leafy green.

There’s a calm honesty to it. The weight of the wood, the gentle imperfections in the paint, the way each flower is rendered with care. It’s a true piece of folk art—personal, expressive, and entirely one of a kind. You can feel the hand of the maker in every brushstroke. No templates, no repetition—just someone, somewhere, making something quietly beautiful for their home.

Created during a time of uncertainty, when West Berlin was still a city divided, this feels like a relic of resilience. A reminder that even in fractured times, people kept making, kept decorating, kept bringing art into the everyday. It’s more than decoration—it’s a quiet act of joy and preservation.

• Hand-painted on solid pine
• Dated 1980
• Found in West Berlin (Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf)
• One-of-a-kind folk art
• Decorated with narcissus and bleeding hearts in white, red, and yellow
• In lovely vintage condition with light, characterful wear

Dimensions;
Length including handle: 41.5cm
Width: 32cm