close-up of the front door of shadow box cabinet looking in to see portrait of the Beloved

mixed media shadow box cabinet holding severed maiden's hands and a portrait of her beloved hand painted poem on the door

close-up of mixed media shadow box cabinet holding severed maiden's hands with a hand painted poem on the door

Story Boxes ~ The Handless Maiden

Mixed Media Assemblage Shadow Box Cabinet

15″H x 8″W x 4″D

In making this piece I was inspired to revisit one of my favorite tales The Handless Maiden.

The folk tale has ancient roots and was collected by the Brothers Grimm in 1812. It’s a popular source of interpretation about the human condition by Jungian psychologists.

The maiden in the story is violently robbed of her hands by her own father who is in leagues with the devil. Forced to fend for herself, she searches for a way to heal her wounds.

This carved story box contains the severed hands of The Handless Maiden and a painting of the Beloved . Prose inspired by the tale is hand painted on the inside of the cabinet door.

Sculpted, carved and handpainted, this little story box is suitable for hanging.

See the gallery page of the companion story box, inspired by The Bleeding Bird.

I’ve been so inspired by the tale of The Handless Maiden, that I have made two additional pieces exploring her story. See the gallery pages of the Feral Kind: The Handless Maiden and Shadow Tales: The Handless Maiden.