And at the culture's very soul are hex signs -- the brightly colored circles that are most authentic when painted on barns but also are popular on decorative wooden circles.

Pook, whose auction house specializes in Pennsylvania German folk art, said painted furniture epitomizes what Berks County is known for.

This primer glorifies and educates the reader about colorfully hand-painted furniture made by the Amish-Mennonite craftsmen in the valley of Soap Hollow in southwestern Pennsylvania from 1834 to 1928.

Snakes symbolize temptation. The Pennsylvania Dutch decorated everything with these symbols, furniture, birth certificates, even Bibles, he says.

In addition to Schwenckfelder frakturs, work by Mennonite artists in Berks, Bucks, and Lehigh Counties, Pa., also are on view along with examples of painted furniture, Amish quilts, pottery, and ...