Presence From The Past

Playmobil Pyramid Enchants Children With The Ancient World

2009-05-06T06:39:00.000-07:00

I am always excited to see toy companies produce items that introduce children to the ancient world. Last Christmas when I was shopping for my grandchildren at Toys-R-Us I noticed Playmobil had introduced a line of figures and accessories based on ancient Rome. I couldn't resist buying a pair of Playmobil gladiators and a chariot with legionaries for my own collection (My husband claims I never grew up!). Today I got an e-mail from Toy Directory Monthly and noticed they offered a library of videos of new toys. When I searched Playmobil I found a video of a wonderful Egyptian pyramid, galley, and figures including a Pharaoh and his court. I've got to get me one of these!

Watch video

Collecting Nativities from Around The World

2008-12-21T08:12:00.001-08:00

Seven years ago I had the opportunity to view a wonderful collection of nativity scenes that were displayed during the holidays by a local LDS church. I had an early digital camera but managed to capture some nice images of many of the different sets I saw there. Since then I have watched for an announcement that the exhibit would be repeated but did not see any until this year.

[Right - A nativity from the Masai of Africa]

I was so excited to be able to repeat this wonderful experience and to photograph the sets again with a newer camera designed for low light environments. I found the nativity sets from such far away places as Africa, Vietnam, Japan and Russia marvelously unique.

Like the first exhibit, the event I attended Sunday was very well organized and I was told included over 900 creches. I spent two fascinating hours trying to capture the most interesting entries, shooting almost five hundred images.

[Left - Kokeshi nativity from Japan]

The event included performances by a very talented singer and two other musicians who played holiday music, much to the enjoyment of all. I don't think I've been to any finer concert!

[Right - Nativity from Peru]

I was told the event has been held every year for the past seven years so I must have just overlooked any notices about it before.

I'm uploading my images to Flickr, so if you are interested in seeing these wonderful examples of folk art, take a look. I have been titling the images "The Many Faces of Christmas". I emailed the local newspaper and offered to provide high resolution versions for printing so the event could be shared with the rest of the community, although I don't yet know if they are planning to run any of them at this time.

[Left - Painted stone nativity from Vietnam]

I found this interesting note on a web page about the placement of nativity figures:

"A nativity tradition is to not place the baby Jesus in the manger until Christmas morning, but it is not necessary to follow this practice."

It also point out that "some nativity icons actually display Joseph at a distance from the manger, looking away from Christ with an old man representing Satan at his side. The purpose of this is to give place in the nativity scene to the role of doubt in human faith."

I actually have several nativity sets of my own. I made my first set myself out of egg carton cups and greeting card images. We were newly married (that was 40 years ago!) and didn't have much money so we celebrated Christmas as best we could.

Later, my daughter sent me a whimsical nativity set from a store where she worked. I have treasured it over the years, too. Then, as I started to frequent flea markets I found a finely detailed hand-made porcelain nativity set complete with real hair and beards [right].

Then a chance discovery at an antique store, turned me onto collecting Fontanini figures. I found a 7" shepherd boy and girl first in an antique shop in Prairie City (OR) and didn't even know what they were. I just loved the detail of their features and the soft patina that gave them an aged look. I later picked up a 5" holy family set that I found at the local Picadilly flea market. My sister, a UCC minister in California, began collecting Fontanini and I stumbled across a flea market vendor with an entire table full of the 5" figures, so I bought them all and have parceled them out as Christmas gifts to Pam each year since. This year, however, I found a quart sandwich bag full of basic Fontanini 5" nativity figures including the three wise men on camels [alone worth $99] , a donkey, a shepherd, an angel and a holy family all for $7. I couldn't believe my luck. As I had already given Pam a holy family, I kept these for my own collection and they have now taken an honored place on the fireplace mantel for this holiday season.

According to the same website referenced above, Fontanini is 100 years old this year.

"Founded by Emanuele Fontanini in Bagni di Lucca, a village in the rolling hills of Italy's famed Tuscan region, the House of Fontanini has been producing handcrafted nativity sets since 1908.

Using an artist's sketch, master sculptor Elio Simonetti forms an actual-size clay sculpture. Once this design is approved by the Fontanini family, Simonetti creates a new model from beeswax. This beeswax model is highly detailed and used to create the rubber or metal molds used in casting Fontanini nativity figures.
Painting Polymer
Most high-quality figurines are made from porcelain, but a Fontanini nativity set is cast in polymer. The advantage of polymer is that the material permits exquisite detail work, but unlike porcelain is very resistant to breaking or chipping.
A Fontanini nativity piece is created by pouring liquid polymer into a mold at a very high temperature and pressure. The polymer is removed from the mold while still warm and pliable, and is cooled for two hours by immersion in continuously running cold water.
Once the polymer figures are cooled, they are taken to the homes of artisans in Bagni di Lucca for painting. Sometimes three generations of women from the same family will paint Fontanini figures together. The pieces are painted one feature at a time rather than one figure at a time, e.g. first the pants of every piece, then the shirts, then the shoes. The only feature left unpainted is the eyes, which are left to a specialized group of painters in order to capture the reverent and lifelike quality so crucial for an outdoor nativity scene.
The Last Details
The process of creating a Fontanini nativity figure ends with the application of patina, a compound of oil, lime, and burnt oils and earth. The patina is applied with a brush, after which the figure is wiped with a cloth, placed in a tub, and wiped dry. These last details ensure that each Fontanini figure is clean and non-toxic. A final extraneous touch is the creation of a story card explaining the history of the particular Fontanini nativity character.
The most popular Fontanini outdoor nativity scene is composed of 5-inch characters and is a seven-piece set. However, Fontanini nativity characters are available in eight different sizes up to 70 inches tall." [Right - A 70" Fontanini Nativity includes a figure of Mary for $6,499, Joseph for $7,499 and baby Jesus - regularly $1,500 on sale for only $1,275.00!"]

Michigan Toy Soldiers hosts W. Britains - Meet the Artists Event

2008-11-21T11:20:00.000-08:00

On November 22, The Michigan Toy Soldier Company hosted a W. Britains - Meet the Artists event. This event gave collectors the opportunity to meet the creative minds behind the products of one of the world's premiere miniature producers and attend demonstrations on sculpting and painting

In late 2005, the William Britain toy soldier company, founded in London in 1893, was purchased by First Gear, Inc. an Iowa based producer of very high quality replica work and construction vehicles. A team of three Detroit area collectors and artisans were brought on board immediately to lead the rebirth of this iconic brand.

Richard Walker, formerly of Grosse Pointe Farms, was hired as General Manager to oversee all aspects of the business in the United States and United Kingdom.

Kenneth Osen, formerly of Livonia and most recently of Bruce, Michigan came aboard as the chief designer and sculptor for W. Britain.

The man charged with bringing these miniature masterpieces to Technicolor life was David Youngquist, a Royal Oak native and gold medal master figure painter for the last twenty years.

If you are interested in attending any of Michigan Toy Soldier's special events check out the schedule!

The meaning of R.A. in the description of a painting or print of one

2007-11-14T03:32:00.000-08:00

I recently received a question from a Cameo Creations Collector that may be of interest to others. So I thought I would post my response. I was asked what the meaning of R.A. was that you sometimes see in regards to painting descriptions. R. A. means "reproduced after". Essentially it means the portrait was painted as a classical reproduction of a well-known work by a famous artist. For example, If I was a painter that was painting after the time of Rembrandt and actually "reproduced" one of Rembrandt's paintings, I would note my endeavor as reproduced after the same work name by Rembrandt. It's sort of like giving proper credit to the original master. Yes, you are acknowledging the painting is one of your originals but it's composition was copied from an existing work.

The image at left is a print of a Cameo Creations portrait of Countess Hochnstein by Vincent Nesbert after (R.A.) an original by Carl Ferdinand Stelzner.

Women In Art

2007-07-16T16:43:00.001-07:00

By accident I stumbled across this video on YouTube in my recommended video list. I found it a fascinating combination of technology (morphing) and beauty, both music and images)

Small English collectibles

2007-06-23T18:14:00.000-07:00

As a remembrance of my English grandparents, I collect items made in England. I have small saucers decorated with detailed and colorful colonial scenes and fish bone plates featuring detailed renderings of Currier and Ives prints.

I particularly enjoy my collection of English egg coddlers produced by Royal Worcester. An excellent reference site I use to identify the pattern of my egg coddlers is: http://www.coddlers.com. Although antique stores frequently charge as much as $22 for the large coddler and $18 for the small ones, I have been able to find them for as little as $2 and pay an average of $12 - $18 for them. They seem to be more plentiful on the east coast than here on the west coast. I was told by a shopkeeper in Charleston, South Carolina that they were a popular wedding present in the late 19th and early 20th centuries on the east coast. I have also noticed that there is usually a distinct difference between the large and small version of a single pattern. Here on the west coast, the most plentiful pattern seems to be "Birds". My current collection includes the patterns Evesham, Lavinia, Birds, Bournemouth, Torquay, June Garland, Louise, Strawberry Fair, A Skippety Tale, Pershore, and Woodland. I would be interested in any of the other patterns featuring naturalistic images of animals and flowers (I don't care much for the stylistic). I would really like to add one of the "Old Game Series" pattern to my collection (if the price is right).

I was in an antique store in the little town of Monroe a few miles north of here (Eugene, Oregon) and saw some beautiful porcelain jar lids, that originally capped jars of English fish paste, adorned with detailed Victorian scenes. The antique store wanted $325 each for them.

So, when my sister and I traveled to London last spring, I kept an eye out for them and found a wonderful one complete with the jar as well at the Portobello Road Antique and Street Fair for only 48 pounds (about $96 U.S.).

Civil War figurines and miniatures

2007-06-23T16:47:00.000-07:00

In 1993, my husband and I helped my daughter move to Charleston, South Carolina. After we got her settled in we had a chance to do some site seeing. We toured Boone Hall Plantation where the miniseries "North and South" was filmed and took a launch out to Fort Sumpter. On the weekends, the old slave market in downtown Charleston is converted into a thriving flea market and street fair. There I found some figurines of Civil War soldiers made out of a resin created with pecan shells.

I bought five of them and wish ever since I had bought all the seller had as I have not been able to find any more since then. The pecan resin takes paint very well and I was quite pleased with my first effort. I even added gray streaks to the beard and mud smudges to the boots.

I also discovered that the Franklin mint produced some beautifully detailed resin "Gone With The Wind" miniatures. I was able to win the bid on several of them up on Ebay. Some of them come glued inside a small ornate bell jar but I actually prefer the stand-alone versions.

Victorian figurines and miniatures

2007-06-23T16:18:00.000-07:00

I have always admired the graceful feminine fashions of the Victorian era so I have been naturally drawn to any figurines I encountered dressed like the men and women of that period. I began by collecting Victorian figurines by Home Design. The Home Design figurines are really nicely detailed and I have found them for $20 or less.

On Ebay, I also found some exquisite Victorian lady Christmas ornaments from Louis Nicole in the $20 range, too. At my local flea market, I happened upon a wonderful set of snow white Victorian children figurines. They were priced at only $25 but I walked on by then returned the next day and they were marked down half price. Even though my display space was at a premium, I couldn't pass them up. I later saw them at a Department 56 store for a lot more than the $12.50 I paid for them! I had similar luck with a beautiful Lenox china figurine. I had previously admired several at an antique store on the coast with price tags of $125 each. Then I saw one in mint condition at the flea market for $50 and talked the vendor down to $35!

The Franklin Mint has produced some wonderful Victorian miniatures. These beautifully detailed miniatures were produced by the mint in 1984.

Each vignette stands about 2 3/4" high and depicts a scene from the upperclass social life from 1898 to 1908 - garden parties, ice skating, attending the opera, the theater, the races, etc. The figurine at the left is entitled "At the Cafe-Concert 1906". I had to bid on them individually on Ebay but managed to acquire them for between $7.95 and $10.95 each.

Historical playsets

2007-06-22T15:04:00.000-07:00

As I browsed Ebay in search of other historical collectibles I became interested in collecting and painting detailed vintage playset figures. The Louis Marx Company produced a variety of beautifully sculpted playsets during the 50s and 60s that are now highly sought after by adult collectors. I particularly like figures from the Ben Hur playset and the Medieval Knights and Vikings from the Prince Valiant and King Arthur playsets. I also saw a picture of Eskimo figures from the Alaska playset that are nicely detailed and in dynamic poses. I content myself with buying selections of figures since a complete vintage Ben Hur playset now commands almost $1200. An excellent source of information about these playsets is Playset Magazine.

I stumbled across a link to history teacher Ron Barzso's playset website. Ron's attention to detail and selection of activities depicted in his early American, French and Indian War and Civil War playsets are truly outstanding and his prices are quite reasonable.

Since I am particularly interested in ancient history, I have sought out playsets produced by an Italian company, Atlantic, in the 1970s. I prefer 1/32 scale figures as they are easier to paint than tiny 1/72 figures and I have paid an average of $37 per unpainted boxed figure set for them. The Atlantic sets come in a box with a fold out mini history lesson including reference pictures of painted figures that are quite helpful. So far I have been able to obtain the Roman Legions, the Roman Gladiators, the Trojans, the Greek Acropolis set, the Greek infantry, the Greek cavalry, and the Egyptian Pharaoh's Court.

I also learned from a playset figure artist to use model railroad layout materials to create "grass" on the stand the figure rests upon for a more natural look (like the Black Watch playset figure above).

Glorious Egypt

2007-06-22T06:57:00.000-07:00

"I see wonderful things!" - Howard Carter, 1922.

I have been fascinated by ancient Egypt since I was a young girl. I saw my first Egyptian mummy when I was 16 and visited the Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian. I was not daunted by his crumbling nose and withered body. Although I didn't get a chance to see the original King Tut's treasures when they toured the United States, I found the "Splendors of Ancient Egypt" exhibit fascinating. It was the first time I had ever seen a Faiyum mummy painting and found it so beautiful. It reminded me of Greek orthodox religious icon paintings and, in fact, I have read since then that Greco-Roman mummy portraiture did influence subsequent religious paintings.

Since then I have been fortunate enough to have visited the Getty Villa in Malibu, California and viewed their mummy portrait collection and recently I returned from New York where I saw the spectacular collection of mummy portraits and masks at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

In addition to surrounding myself with reproductions of Egyptian art like those displayed here, I also collect books set in ancient Egypt by such authors as Margaret George (Memoirs of Cleopatra), Judith Tarr (Lord of the Two Lands), Wilbur Smith (River God), and Lynda S. Robinson. I even used my experience with artificial intelligence software to create a virtual Cleopatra.

Avon collectibles

2007-06-21T15:36:00.000-07:00

Although some collectors may scoff at collecting items produced by Avon, I have found a number of Avon's collectibles nicely detailed and well made. As a collector of Victorian figurines, I appreciate the Mrs. Albee figurines that have been awarded over the years for outstanding sales. I admired two of the figurines displayed at a local restaurant for several years before I found out what they were. I then happened upon an entire selection of them offered for sale in a Minnesota antique shop and learned about their origin. Although I couldn't bring myself to pay the $135 - $165 price for each one at the antique store, I found the one at left in a second-hand store in Cheyenne, Wyoming for $49 then managed to get the one at right on Ebay for less than $60. Then I was contacted by a collector who sold me an entire lot of them for only $30 each.

I have also collected the "American Women", "Storybook", and "Women of the World" series of small porcelain dolls. I am told the"Women of the World" doll representing India is very beautiful but I have never seen it. In Cheyenne, Wyoming I found the "American Women" doll representing the American Indian (left) and found her quite endearing, with a carefully detailed leather-looking dress and carrying a basket of maize. Last year I found a wonderfully detailed selection of miniature ducks and geese representing six different wild species produced in the early 80s as well.

Victorian Lamps

2007-06-21T14:33:00.001-07:00

Years ago I noticed an advertisement for a class at the local craft shop on how to construct Victorian-style fabric lampshades. I am a pushover for items decorated with lace, silk and roses so I thought it would be interesting to learn how to make some of the elaborate Victorian lamp shades I had seen in antique stores. I selected some cream-colored French batiste semi-sheer fabric and lace with a floral pattern that would make bouquet per shade panel , bought enough 3" silk fringe to adorn the lower edge and headed to the workshop. The instructor taught us how to make our own custom patterns by pressing foil across each of the different Victorian panel shapes that made up the wire frame of the lampshade. Then she demonstrated how to cut the fabric panels leaving about 3/8" border around the shape to give us fabric to wrap and glue around the lamp shade frames.

I had to adapt my design as I covered my frame with the semi-sheer fabric then overlaid the lace on top of that. I was quite pleased with the result and the lamps still adorn my living room. Since then, however, I learned to used the "wrap with bias seam binding and stitch fabric to wrapped frame" method that I much prefer to the glue method. I can stretch the fabric much tighter and get a more professional finish with the stitched method. All of the other lampshades I have made were fashioned using the stitched method and when my married daughter came to visit, I taught her the stitched method as well.

Soon I was haunting flea markets and second-hand stores looking for suitable lamp bases. I prefer figural bases if I can find them although Capo di Monte porcelain lamp bases make exquisite Victorian decor as well. Finding just the right base and creating shades that resemble a delicate Victorian confection is very rewarding. They also make a wonderfully personal and unique wedding gift if the bride admires Victorian design. I created a pair of lamps for my daughter and son-in-law for their wedding that had satin shades adorned with lace and beaded floral motifs that I bought at a wedding shop.

Centuries Miniatures

2007-06-21T08:04:00.000-07:00

With my passion for history, I have been drawn to historical portraiture in all of its forms. I found historical miniatures particularly interesting and accomodating to my limited display space. One of the first group of miniatures I purchased for my own collection were Centuries Miniatures produced by the Franklin Mint in 1982. Each miniature portrays a woman in a typical fashion of a particular year in history. Each miniature stands apx. 54 mm tall but is much "thinner" than typical 54mm miniatures. For example, their heads are about 30% smaller than average miniatures of this size. Since they are porcelain, it is also difficult to find them undamaged as well. They were originally sold by monthly subscription for $15 each and the collection included a bell jar for display. I was fortunate enough to purchase ten of these miniatures as a group for only$5 each. Lady Eleanor c. 1415 (at left) in the green dress was purchased separately for $7.95.

My early collecting adventures

2007-06-21T06:54:00.000-07:00

One day, I saw an intricately decorated metal plate made in England by Daher. It cost only a few dollars and really brightened up my kitchen. I soon learned Daher metalware was made in a variety of patterns and shapes and, because they were light, I could affix them to my plain birch cabinets with 3M mounting squares without driving nails that would damage the original birch. I had started my first collection. My sister pointed out that since we were of English heritage, the Daher pieces reflected our ancestry. She showed me her collection of English Royal Worcester egg coddlers. I loved the delicate images of birds and flowers and began looking for them as well. I also found beautifully decorated saucers, pitchers, and even fish bone holders bearing the distinctive "Made In England" stamp that were affordable as well.

I have always had a passion for history and historical portraiture. One day I found some beautiful miniature Victorian portraits in ornate frames labeled "Cameo Creations". I bought the pair for less than $20. I soon learned they too were produced in a variety of frames featuring different portrait prints from a host of mostly 18th and 19th century artists. I not only appreciated their beauty but was inspired to learn more about the "great masters" who had produced them.

I also began collecting small dolls and figurines in period dress. Although I couldn't afford Royal Dalton pieces (costing hundreds of dollars), I found nicely detailed pieces from Home Interiors for less than $20 and even a beautiful Lenox figurine for only $35. At an auction I bought a box of Jan Hagara ornaments shaped as Victorian children for only $5 per ornament not even realizing at the time who Jan Hagara was! (No wonder the auctioneer couldn't imagine why I didn't want all three lots.)

When I travel I look for items that remind me of my experiences that I can add to my collections. When I visited Williamsburg, I bought a miniature porcelain fife and drum corps. When I toured the Stronganoff exhibit, "Art of a Russian Nobel family", I found a distinctive Russian doll in 18th century attire for less than $20.

Several years ago I read the Masters of Rome series of novels by Colleen McCullough and became absolutely entranced by ancient Rome and the surrounding Mediterranean cultures. Since then I have begun searching for affordable dolls, miniatures, models, figurines, mosaic kits, jewelry, and art featuring ancient themes.