North America, Eastern United States, Pennsylvania, Amish, ca. early 20th century CE. An interesting section of wood panels taken from the exterior wall of a razed barn - painted the traditional red iron-oxide color with a hex symbol in blue, white, and yellow. The circular bands represent life cycles, and the whirling lobed center are raindrops symbolizing fertility and rainfall. Hex marks are usually bright colors to contrast and add beauty to these otherwise plain buildings - a mixture of folk art from Germany and superstitious good luck symbols. While the word hex is similar to the German word for witch (hexe), the meaning may actually stem from the word six (sechs) for the popular 6-pointed stars many Amish barns displayed. Conservative sects often condemn the use of hex signs since they have roots in pagan beliefs, but they remain a popular signature mark of many Amish barns. This preserved panels are mounted together on a modern wire for displaying. Size: 52" L x 2" W x 53" H (132.1 cm x 5.1 cm x 134.6 cm) Provenance: ex-private Bishop Family Trust collection, the Trust of the late Bill Bishop, a noted antiquarian with shops in Scottsdale, Arizona and Allenspark, Colorado, USA, acquired before 2010 All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping. #173129