Description
Mortician's cooling board. I am told this was used before "embalming" a corpse became popular to allow a body to "cool" or let rigamortis set in. Interesting piece has folding legs and an adjustable rest for the deceased neck. It appears to be in great shape with the wicker caning still intact. I am told that this is extremely rare even though they were used extensively. Any info from would be appreciated.
Category
Other
Medium
Wood
Distinguishing marks
none
Condition
Excellent
Date Period
possibly pre civil war
eBay Auction Link
Price Paid (If known)
N/A
For Sale?
No
Photos
Re: Morticians Cooling Board
Items like this have a very high " give me the creeps" factor that keeps them from selling to anyone but a 'dead'icated
collector ;~) This stuff is very difficult to sell at any price in the general antique market.
Lovejoy
Re: Morticians Cooling Board
Creepy ! Dead-icated !! LOL @Lovejoy
Re: Morticians Cooling Board
that is a lovely cooling board...the one i received from my grandmother from Gulrock NC is just a piece of Carolina pine flat with nothing on it except nine lines indicating that at least nine people were place on that board....i believe it was used before the turn of the century for the entire community of Gulrock NC....it is macabre but that is why my grandmother and i loved it....it is like a piece of history of no other kind....i know for a fact that her little sister
Delores Mason who i believed died in approx 1919 was also place upon the board....it is a simple board that was placed on ladder back chairs to at first let the dead persons fluids run and be purged from the body then the board was wiped clean and the person was dressed and then presented to the community on the same board before burial....