Any child would have been delighted to find this performing circus bear nodder with baby bear under their Christmas tree. Typical German construction with mohair over papier-mache body, collar and cap of silk trimmed with Dresden paper trim.
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Every little boy needed a solider under their Christmas tree, and I guess it is amazing that any of these have survived. These are very early German crank toys (Klimperkaestchen), ca. 1840s, carved of wood with polychrome paint. Face on the left is carved; face on the right is molded with Brotteig (bread dough). They are made so that the arms move to beat the drums when the crank is turned.
This early train (ca. 1850) was made in the town of Olbernhau in the Erzgebirge region of Germany. As with so many fragile early pieces, not many of these have survived. The brightly colored train cars are made of hard paper with wooden wheels; the engine's smokestacks and even the "smoke" are also of wood. Passengers inside the cars are of papier-mache. I found the train stored in the beautiful early hand painted bentwood box, and although it is German as well, it comes from a different region in Germany than the train. I was fortunate to have been able to visit the Olbernhau town museum several years ago and was allowed to look through their two original sample books, hand sketched and hand painted, showing the various models of trains for sale in the 1850s, but not even the Olbernhau town museum had an original train to display in its cases. It no doubt was a most special toy for a little boy in its time.
Rats under the Christmas tree? Well, for these I would make an exception. This pair of life-size papier-mache rats would have been filled with candy and sweets for the children. The tails, the whiskers, the mouths, the beady eyes . . . no one but the Germans could create something as wonderful (yes, wonderful!) as these candy containers, ca. 1900-1910.
This Christmas season I thought I would count down the days to December 25th with toys that children from the 1850s to early 1900s might find under their Christmas trees on Christmas morning.
The cat nodder transforms the common, ordinary household pet into a figure full of charm and whimsy, which made German toys something all children had on their wish list from Santa. Outrageously long, spindly legs of wood hold the papier-mache human body wearing a shirt and short pants. The cat head balances on a stick of wood attached to a wire inserted inside the neck allowing the head to nod, looking ever so sweet with its little red cap. Such a toy would have been available in the early 1900s, but so very hard for collectors to find today. |
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May 2015
Susan's PageWelcome to Living Tastefully’s “Antique of the Week” page. Our love of antiques is reflected in every aspect of our everyday lives. We are passionate about collecting and also love functional antiques that can actually be used and not only admired. Hopefully we can inspire you to incorporate antiques in your home and your life to add charm and beauty to your surroundings.
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