From the turn-of-the-century until today, there has been one carousel that has stood out from all of the rest--The Illions Supreme Carousel, the ultimate creation of the renowned master carver, Marcus Charles Illions.

In the early 1900s, Mr. Illions worked at many of the finest and most prestigious carousel companies, perfecting and honing his carving skills. Everywhere he went his skills were soon rewarded with the enviable title and position of head carver. As an artist, he demanded perfection in everything he produced. Unfortunately for Illions, the demands of the marketplace were forcing carousel companies to resort to techniques of mass production. This went against the grain of Illions’ conception of a carousel as a hand-crafted work of art. In order to continue making carousels the way he thought they should be made, Marcus Illions was compelled to open his own carousel company, M.C. Illions & Sons.

Marcus was an expert horseman. His knowledge of horse musculature allowed him to duplicate the animal to perfection. He was known for his unique ability of making the carousel horse seem to move while it was standing still. The flamboyant flying manes and tails gave the illusion of speed and motion.

After years of fine tuning his art, Mr. Illions created what was known as the "Supreme Carousel Series". The company produced only three of these grand machines. The Supreme Carousel is the greatest testimony to both carousel art and to the creative genius of Marcus Illions. Unfortunately, the cost of production and Marcus’ struggle with perfection made it impossible for the company to compete.

In 1927, Marcus started work on the third and final Supreme Carousel. He knew that this would be the last carousel that his company would ever produce. Marcus put extra care and attention into the carving of his last machine. He ended up creating the most elaborately carved carousel ever produced. Of the three Supreme Carousels, only this machine has survived intact.

The horses from this machine have been used on the covers of more books, magazines and calendars than any other. The lead horse, known as the "American Beauty Rose Horse", is the most famous carousel horse in the world. This animal’s image has been used in every major carousel book. It is also featured on the cover of the number one selling book about carousels, "Painted Ponies" Click here to buy the book online.