The Catalog is Complete!

I have finished uploading the original Hertwig and Company catalog. I may go back and scan some of the earlier pages that did not photograph particularly well, but the entire catalog is now on-line.

Staying Afloat

This little bathing boy knows just how to keep his head above water. Of fine rosy bisque, beautifully modeled and decorated, and clad only in blue and white striped bathing trunks, this 4-inch long figurine is surprisingly lightweight for its size.

That is because this little beach boy is hollow, so when he is gently placed in water, he does the back float. Called badekinder (bathing children), they were produced in Germany as children’s playthings and bath toys. However, the delicate thin bisque shell could not tolerate too many knocks against the side of a bowl or bathtub, so few of these sweet little swimmers seem to have survived.

 

More Catalog Pages

In a race against software updates and driver glitches, I have added more pages to the Hertwig catalog. I have also scanned and reposted a couple of earlier pages that did not photograph well. After I have the entire catalog posted, software willing, I hope to go back and scan and post clearer images of some of the earlier pages.

Back to Cataloging the Catalog

More updates to the Hertwig catalog page. I had lost the ability to coordinate my old scanner with my somewhat less old laptop. Apparently every time I update my laptop software, I now to have to delete my current scanner driver and reinstall a newer version, when one becomes available. Currently, everything appears to be working again and I am approaching the end of the catalog. Guess I better scan and post those last few pages before the next software update.

Oh!-bidome

This week features another unusual piece of Japanese erotica, an obidome featuring a red coral carving of a nude woman framed by flowers, studded with tiny pearls. An obidome is a decorative slide used to ornament the front of the obijime, the cord used by Japanese women to help keep the wide sash or obi in place. Other than ornamental, the obidome serves no purpose. Legend traces the obidome to the class of female entertainers known as geisha, who, to honor a special patron or customer, slid his metal sword guard, called a tsuba, on her obijime. The geisha were the trendsetters of the day and soon women of all classes were using an ornamental slide to decorate the obijime. Some obidome are set with precious and semiprecious stones, and carved coral is a popular and traditional material. However, the other coral obidome I have seen are more innocuous subjects, such as koi or flowers like peonies or chrysanthemums. Considering that the obidome is displayed prominently on the front of the obi like a belt buckle, the choice of a nubile nude is rather surprising.

A view of the back of the obidome, displaying the slides for the obijime. Although the metal is unmarked, it tarnishes like silver. The obidome is 1.75 inches long.