This miniature sleigh is modelled after a typical Dutch model known as 'duwslee' (push-sleigh) or 'toogslee' (go-sleigh), an example of which is in the Westfries Museum in Hoorn. The two boys in it were pushed by a skater on the ice. They were invariably made of wood and always painted on the outside.
In miniature silver, sleds are not very common, mostly being horse-drawn sleighs. A push sled like this one is very rare.
A Miniature Push-Sleigh
During the period known as the Little Ice Age, from the fifteenth century to the nineteenth, Dutch winters were much more severe than they are today. Day to day traffic virtually came to a standstill, the waterways were frozen and the unsurfaced roads became impassable, so a sleigh was a practical means of getting about.
Although sleighing was popular in other parts of the Netherlands, the people of Friesland were especially renowned for the enthusiasm with which they engaged in winter sports and entertainments. Various types of sleigh were to be found on Frisian country estates. Dutch winter sports and entertainments made a great impression on foreign visitors.