Vardo

Acrylic on board, 30 x 15 cm, 600 NZD

This is the interior of a vardo, sometimes called a Gypsy caravan or wagon. They were used by the British Isles’ Romanichal people as mobile homes from the mid-nineteenth to early twentieth centuries. Typically made of wood, they were sometimes simple, sometimes lavish. Heating was usually provided by a Queen Anne stove. Food was cooked outside on a yog (the Romany word for “campfire”). Vardos replaced the canvas “bender tents” that were placed atop wagons.