These are Dutch wooden ice skates also know as Friese Doorlopers! The Provence of Friesland is world famous for its skating culture.

They would have been strapped to the feet with leather straps that slipped through the slots in the wood. The curl on the front was classic traditional Dutch, designed to stop the skate from getting stuck in cracks or rough canal ice.

These make a wonderful Christmas decoration with a lovely velvet bow, however if you remove the bow they would make a fabulous coffee table conversation piece!

Measurements: 6.5 x 36cm