Postcard Image

Postcard Image
As the Victorian era passed into the Edwardian and Roaring Twenties, a market developed for bisque and china bawdy novelties and figurines of women in revealing outfits. Although now most of these figurines seem more coy and cute than ribald and risque, in their time they symbolized the casting off of the perceived restraints of the Victorian era.

These little lovelies included bathing beauties, who came clad in swimsuits of real lace or in stylish painted beach wear, as well as mermaids, harem ladies, and nudies, who were meant to wear nothing more than an engaging smile. Also produced were flippers, innocent appearing figurines who reveal a bawdy secret when flipped over, and squirters, figurines that were meant to squirt water out of an appropriate orifice.

Most were manufactured in Germany from the late 1800s through the 1930s, often showing remarkable artistry and imagination, with Japan entering the market during World War I.

Thursday, October 6, 2022

Knittin' with a Kitten

Galluba and Hofmann is renown among collectors for its voluptuous bathing beauties and aristocratic fashion ladies, but the company also produced some charming children with all the same delicate details and fine workmanship it lavished on its lovely ladies. This endearing double figurine features a little girl  engaged in knitting while a boy stands in front of his school satchel. The boy appears to be lecturing from a large open book, but the girl is more interested in the antics of the cute kitten batting at the ball of yarn by her feet. Both wear their original light brown mohair wigs, the boy's with large curls and the girl's long and wavy with straight bangs. They have the typical Galluba intaglio blue eyes with black pupils and black and red lid lines and their parted slightly smiling coral lips reveal tiny molded teeth. The modeling is superb, from the children's rosy faces and graceful hands to the folds and ruffles in their outfits. Of excellent sharp bisque, this doubly delightful figurine is 3.5 inches wide, and 5.5 inches tall. 




Underneath the piece is stamped in black with the Galluba and Hofmann shield and incised "383." 






 

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