Ko Verzuu for ADO De Stijl Wooden Toy Truck and Trailer, circa 1950 A wonderfully graphic and collectible wooden toy truck with trailer, designed by Ko Verzuu for ADO, dating from around 1950. The model is documented: an essentially identical example, with the same orange-red cab, green open trailer, blue wheel centres and overall length of 41 cm, is recorded as a Ko Verzuu ADO truck from 1950. The design is pure Verzuu. The truck is reduced to a series of simple geometric planes, with a low sloping front, almost architectural cabin and remarkably economical detailing. Behind it sits the long rectangular green trailer, connected by a simple articulated coupling. The combination of orange, green, blue, white and exposed wood at the worn edges gives the whole thing the character of a De Stijl composition. Particularly attractive are the original wheels, with blue-painted metal centres and heavily worn pale rubber tyres, and the small original ADO metal badge fixed prominently to the silver-coloured front panel. The badge itself is useful in dating the piece: ADO used metal marks in different forms from the mid-1930s onward, including silver-coloured examples during the 1940s and 1950s. ADO was led artistically by Ko Verzuu (1901–1971), who designed hundreds of toys for the workshops between the 1920s and his departure in 1955. Verzuu followed contemporary architecture and visual art closely, and his designs show clear affinities with De Stijl, the Hague School and other strands of Dutch modernism. Rather than reproducing real vehicles in miniature, he simplified them into strong proportions and essential forms, leaving room for a child's imagination. The story behind ADO is as remarkable as the objects themselves. The toys were originally produced by patients of the Berg en Bosch tuberculosis sanatorium, first near Apeldoorn and, after 1933, in Bilthoven, as part of occupational rehabilitation. ADO originally stood for Arbeid Door Onvolwaardigen, roughly “Labour by the Inadequate/Disabled”, a name very much of its period and one that has aged considerably less gracefully than the toys. In 1962 the initials were reinterpreted as the rather more agreeable: Apart, Doelmatig, Onverwoestbaar (translates to Distinctive, Practical, Indestructible) Verzuu did not restrict himself to the primary colours associated with De Stijl. Green and orange were also favourites, making this particular colour combination very characteristic of his work. ADO toys were sold through progressive Dutch retailers including Metz & Co., bringing Verzuu into direct contact with the modern design world of the period. Today the toy works equally well as a piece of Dutch design history and as a wonderfully decorative sculptural object. Its scratches, losses to the paint and worn tyres are evidence of precisely what it was made for: somebody actually played with it. On an otherwise pristine object that might be a drawback. Here it is rather easy to regard it as part of the charm. Verzuu's importance has since been recognised institutionally. His ADO work was included in MoMA's major 2012 exhibition Century of the Child: Growing by Design, 1900–2000, and MoMA holds a Verzuu ADO trailer in its collection. Condition: Good original vintage condition, with clear age-related wear, paint losses and patina from use. The original ADO badge remains present. The wheels have the most wear. Dimensions: L 41 × W 11 × H 8,5 cm | L 16.1 × W 3.9 × H 3.5 in