A beautifully carved and painted folk art 18th century Danish laundry mangle board and roller. Engraved with initials and date 1762. To use the mangle board linen was wrapped tightly around the roller and then pressed flat with the board which both smoothed the creases and softened the fabric. Mangle boards were also used in Scandinavia as part of a wedding proposal. If the gift of the mangle board was accepted by the lady being proposed to the initials and the date of the future man and wife were carved into the board as a love token and keepsake. In this case the proposal must have been accepted. Roller length 64cm, mangle board length 54cm. Some historic borer damage as shown. Quite common on these items. This has been treated for our storage and buyer peace of mind.