Large mohair-covered reindeer candy container, glass eyes, leather fittings. Beautiful example. Paired with a little early German potted tree.
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Old ca. 1910 Lichterhaus from my Tante Lillie, again most probably bought at the High Amana (Iowa) General Store. These house dioramas were very popular in Germany to put out at Christmastime. There is a place to insert a candle in the back which, when lit, would illuminate the windows in the houses which are covered in colored cellophane. There are traces of candle wax in mine, but I light it now with battery-operated candles instead. Still has its original cardboard box and is stamped on the bottom "Made in Germany."
This 10-inch papier-mache white-coated Santa was a gift to my mother as a little girl for Christmas. It most certainly was bought at the High Amana (Iowa) General Store. Her Onkel Willie and Tante Christine ran the store, and as we had relatives in Germany, they always carried a large variety of special Christmas and Easter items from Germany for sale in the early 1900s, and this even continued on into the 1980s. One year the German relatives sent my mother a large box of Erzgebirge wooden toys when she was a young child, which I remember always being displayed for Christmas at our house when my sister and I were growing up. That, I suppose, formed the basis for my fascination with toys from the Erzgebirge. It wasn't until about five years ago that I found my great great grandfather Wendler was born in the Erzgebirge in Niederschlemma, and I had driven through the little village before not knowing at the time that he was born there.
I haven't forgotten a very important part of every German Christmas -- the Räuchermann (literally smoking man), or what we in America call "smokers." These fine early smokers are made from a combination of carved wood and bread dough (Brotteig), and the coattails on each are made of heavy paper which has been painted black. Of course, because of the fragile nature of the paper many old smokers are found without their coattails. These examples are, once again, the Bergmann, or miner in parade dress, so important to Erzgebirge, and what I call the Town Crier (or perhaps Night Watchman?). When the smokers are taken apart little cones, which look like they're made of charcoal, called Räucherkerzen (smoker candles), are placed on a little platform usually lined with tin and then lit. When the top half is back in place, smoke curls out of the open mouth and our Räuchermann is smoking his pipe! Wonderful team of eight German papier-mache reindeer candy containers with Santa Claus, who is also a candy container, and sled of twigs. Makes a great display on my dining room table. It's hard from the photos to get an idea of the size of the reindeer. They each measure 7 1/2 inches long and 4 1/2 inches high and are an impressive sight all lined up in rows of two! Weihnachtsleuchter/Spinne ca. 1860-1870 in original polychrome paint. These fantastic Christmas chandeliers, or Spinne, (so-called "Spiders" for the arms coming out of the center turned post like a spider's legs) were created in 19th century Erzgebirge/Saxony to hang from the ceiling at Christmastime. They are folk art at their finest, as you can see from the wonderful carvings done in a riot of colors on mine above. My photo, unfortunately, doesn't do the Spinne justice, as I held it in one hand and photographed with the other. If you ever have the opportunity, I can highly recommend going to the Museum für Sächsische Volkskunst (Saxon Folk Art Museum) in Dresden, Germany. Besides having superb collections covering dozens and dozens of areas (textiles, early clothing, springerle molds, etc.), as one enters a very long corridor on the first floor of the museum your eyes are drawn to the ceiling where early Christmas chandeliers hang the entire length. It really is breathtaking. They also have a large display of Erzgebirge toys and carvings on the second floor. This closeup of my Spinne more clearly shows the wonderful turnings and colors of the center post with fantasy hand carved birds wearing gold crowns on the top tier. The center tier has simple 8-pointed gold stars shooting out, while the bottom tier has carved arms coming out with candleholders at the end alternating with carved wooden figures. My winter project is to restore a Spider I have had, believe it or not, in a box for almost ten years now. It is elaborately carved and known as an Affenleuchter (monkey chandelier), named for the monkeys sitting on the arms of one of the tiers which are wearing hats and playing drums. It dates to the end of the 19th century. Nothing is linked more to the Erzgebirge region of Germany than the Bergmänner. Erzgebirge literally means "Ore Mountains," and mining was the chief industry. The miners were held in very high esteem, and whenever there was a parade, they would put on their parade uniform and participate. This early Bergmann (miner) candleholder is typical of those displayed at Christmastime in every Erzgebirge household, hand carved and hand painted . . . a miner in full parade dress with a candleholder.
This is a VERY special German Belsnickle. Not only is he a candy container, but a nodder as well . . . a combination that is very hard to find. Add to that his small size (6.5 inches), well, he's as special as he gets! He came just in time to celebrate Christmas.
My 17-inch tall German reindeer is covered in mohair and fitted with a colorful felt saddle and harness with dark red leather trim and glass eyes. He has a keywind clockwork mechanism, and when wound his head and neck will nod. Because of his large size, he was probably intended to be used as a display piece in a shop window. He watches over my kitchen table at Christmastime, standing in an Amana-made feather tree fence.
These domed displays were found in many Victorian households. They were made in Germany, and some can be found stamped "Austria" as well. A great many of them have a religious subject, while others depict scenes with animals, children, etc. This relatively large glass dome is almost a foot tall with a Christmas nativity scene of Joseph, Mary, Baby Jesus, two sheperds, a lamb and flowers sitting on a moss-covered stairstep base. The flowers encircling the scene are made of embossed paper. Many incorrectly describe the figures as made of wax, but they are actually made of "Tragant" (a mixture made mainly of sugar and a few other ingredients). Early confectioners, most notably those from Berlin and Vienna, were masters of this and created Christmas ornaments and decorations fashioned of Tragant. They were then handpainted and many hung from the Christmas trees. My German friend Maria tells me the early glass-domed nativity scenes were usually made in Austria.
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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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