Not familiar to most Americans as a Christmas figure, this is an early Moosmann (Moss Man) which, according to legend from the Vogtland area of Germany, would come out of the sea every year and stand next to the Christmas pyramid on display in the house. After Christmas, legend has it, he would disappear back into the sea with the three wise men. The Moss Man predates Santa Claus, which was not yet known. My Moss Man figure is hand carved of wood. His coat and hat are actually made of bark. The inside of his bark coat which stands open is painted bright blue. His hat and coat are covered with moss. Quite a scary figure and very hard to find. I much prefer Santa . . . don't you?
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Wonderful early German woven wicker car driven by a papier-mache Santa. These early German basket-type vehicles are highly sought after by Christmas collectors. It has gelatin celluloid windows, and the roof lifts to reveal a candy compartment. I've loaded my car with a German Dresden "Man in the Moon" candy container in the shape of an egg.
The Seiffener Lichterengel was a part of every early German Christmas celebration. These beautiful folk art angels were hand carved in the Seiffen area of the Erzgebirge, and the arms were formed of Brotteig (bread dough). They were usually painted white with simple handpainted decoration as mine, and there are more elaborate ones with metal arches or wings. They are all beautiful, but the simple ones are my favorite.
Christmas and nutcrackers go hand in hand. This large German nutcracker stands guard next to my microwave year round. He's an old one and made pre-1900 in the Erzgebirge region of Germany. They were originally made in Thuringia, Germany, out of papier-mache, but because of the fragile nature of papier-mache the Erzgebirge region began carving them out of wood, and those are the ones the world knows today. The figures are chararcatures of kings, soldiers, policemen, people of authority, etc., and are fantastic pieces of German folk art. The countdown to Christmas begins. Hopefully I'll have a special Christmas antique for you each day until the 25th. These are two fine little German Santas. The one on the right, in his dark brown coat, is a rare color for a Belsnickle and opens to reveal a candy container. His face is especially finely painted. The Santa on the left is a rare German Luffa piece with rabbit fur beard. Luffa Santas are extremely hard to find. German toymakers dried out the Luffa (normally used for making sponges) and decorated Christmas sleighs and Easter carts with it, but a Luffa Santa is extra special! |
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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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