Collect Them All!: Sitzendorf Sea Siren Series

German manufacturers often produced a series of similar or related figurines. The challenge for the collector, of course, is to collect them all! This is a page from a 1929 catalogue of aquarium supplies from Grassyfork Fisheries, Inc. Entitled "Mermaid Combinations in Colors," the page offers "a new line of mermaid figurines mounted on representations of various forms of aquatic life imported by Grassyfork Fisheries." The figurines are said to be of bisque, "with attractive coloring and a luster finish of great beauty." Since luster is a glaze, the figurines would have to be of china, not bisque, but the catalogue often uses the terms interchangeably. Of the six figurines pictured, five are clearly not mermaids, but nude sea nymphs, their modesty ensured by a strategically placed drapery (or, in the case of the nubile nude on the crab, her own hands).

Here is the lady on the lobster. Of excellent china, and beautifully modeled, the figurine is 4.5 inches long and 3.25 inches high. The lobster has an airhole on his back and on top of the tail, which would release the air from inside the figurine when it was placed in the fish tank, preventing the figurine from floating and allowing the ornament to be anchored on the aquarium floor. Underneath the piece is incised "Ges. Gesch." and with the crowned "S" of the Sitzendorf Porcelain Factory. "Ges. Gesch" is short for "gesetzlich geschutzt," which means that patent rights have been granted and registered for the design.

This modest maiden has a right to be a bit crabby, as the "luster finish of great beauty" was not fired in and would slowly wash away when the piece was submerged in an aquarium. Her shelled steed shows such signs of wear on its shiny shell. Also incised with the Sitzendorf mark and "Ges. Gesch.," the piece is 3.5 inches high. Holes on each side of the crab's shell serve to release inside air.

This sea siren's starfish has lost almost all of its luster finish. There are airholes in the top of the starfish. Also 3.5 inches high, the piece is incised underneath with the Sitzendorf mark and "Ges. Gesch."






This femme's finny friend has retained its luster finish, showing how eye-catching the original coloring could be. There are small airholes in the fish's head and tail. Incised "Ges. Gesch.," the piece is 3.5 inches high and 4.25 inches long.


Toddling along on a turtle, this nude naiad is 4.25 inches long and is incised with the Sitzendorf mark and "Ges. Gesch."

Variations on a Theme by Galluba and Hofmann

German porcelain manufacturers were always seeking to expand their product lines to outpace their competitors and appeal to as wide a market as possible, but sculpting and molding an entirely new model was expensive and time consuming. Manufacturers cleverly solved this dilemma by modifying existing models to create a new product without the expense of developing a wholly new prototype. Here is a nubile nymph from Galluba and Hofmann who seems to be reaching out for a hug. She is 6 inches long and has retained her original mohair wig. On the inside of her left thigh she is incised "405 1/2," followed by an obscured letter. This is one of the less common poses produced by Galluba.

This pretty lady with her pussycat is the same model by Galluba, albeit in a larger size. Eight inches long, she is incised "424" followed by a lower case cursive "g" under both her left thigh and on the sole of her left foot. She has lost the fragile fingers on her right hand, which is unfortunately a common problem with this pose.

The friendly feline was molded and added during the greenware stage, giving Galluba the flexibility to place a pet on any of its standard bathing belles. Ladies have been found with attached cats, kittens, spaniels, dogs, and even a grinning imp. Any such addition make even the most common Galluba pose highly desirable.

Galluba produced a porcelain line designed to imitate ivory decorated with gold, such as this sultry sultana, barely clad in her costume of molded gold beads and jewels. Even her hair, which is molded in a chignon, and face is decorated in soft warm golden brown tones. Incised "9725" on her left buttock, she is 8 inches long.

Modeled in pure white bisque, this voluptuous beauty appears to be carved in marble. The largest of these ladies, she is 9.5 inches long, and is incised "9527" on the sole of her left foot.

Heubach Bathing Belle & Skinnydipping Sister

This art deco nude appears in my second book, where I attribute her to the German firm of Gebruder Heubach. She is 4.5 inches tall.

My attribution turns out to have been correct, as here is the same fabulous flapper, except with raven hair and a painted, but not molded, red bathing suit. Of the same excellent china as her nude sister, she is slightly larger, at 5 inches tall.

 

Underneath she is stamped with the Heubach square mark. There is an obscured number, but it appears to end with "99/3."

The slender nude is marked with "Made in Germany" in a circle, which is sometimes found on Heubach pieces, and she is incised with what appears to be "11896/3."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sitting on Pins and Needles

Although “naddelkissen” sounds like a Germanic term of endearment, it refers to the utilitarian pincushion. But, thanks to creative German manufacturers, utilitarian did not necessarily mean ordinary, and decorative pincushions, draped with delicate laces and dainty ribbons, were often topped with a delectable damsel of china or bisque, including beautiful bathing belles.

This extraordinary creation of felt, fringe and ribbon looks as bright as the day it left the factory. The crowning touch is the lovely lady by Galluba and Hofmann luxuriously lounging on its top. She has her original light brown mohair wig and is clad in a top of pale yellow ribbon and a short skirt of pink fringe, which matches her molded pink ballet-style bathing slippers. Protecting the modesty of her bosom is an elaborate garland of gold cord and blue silk ribbon. The four-inch long lass lies within a frame of gold braid and blue fringe, held in place by pins with colorful glass bead heads. The rest of the pincushion is almost as extravagant, with another circle of glass-headed pins, a band of brilliant red and blue ribbon, and a scalloped edge trimmed with a battalion of brass safety pins. The underside of blue felt is edged with a band of dark blue and bright red ribbon and the yellow ribbon forming the bell's bodice is tied underneath in a big bow. This is one knockout naddelkissen!

This china nude nymph perched on her original pincushion is by Gebruder Heubach and is pictured on a promotional postcard by the company, where she is called "Beim Aufsstehen" (when awakening). The nubile nude is 3 inches high and her art deco patterned pincushion pillow is 6.5 inches wide.

The prolific Hertwig and Company not only produced platoons of pincushion dolls, but also offered complete assemblies. This little raven-haired flapper in her scarlet swimming suit is attributed to Hertwig, and the company's catalogues show similar pincushions decorated with the same sort of thin striped ribbon. This diminutive damsel is 1.75 inches tall and is of good precolored china, and her petite pincushion adds another inch. The pincushion is stamped underneath in purple “Made in Germany.”

This bare bisque beauty is a known model by Hertwig. Only 2 inches long, this little lady is nearly dwarfed by her 6 inch long original oval pincushion, trimmed with fine lace and silk ribbon around edge. Made of sharp precolored bisque, this bare bather is incised "Germany" on edge of her right thigh.

The Five Barrisons in Bisque

Blonde, buxom, and bawdy, the Five Barrison Sisters once billed themselves as the "wickedest girls in the world." Granted they were performing in the 1890s, when the bar for wickedness was pretty low, but the five sisters (and they were indeed siblings) tantalized and titillated music hall audiences in Europe and the United States with their on-stage naughtiness. Often dressed in girlish costumes, the sisters would warble songs full of double-entendres and sexual suggestiveness. In their most famous act, first performed at the Wintergarten in Berlin in 1896, the sisters, clad in long frilly dresses and babyish bonnets, sang about "Mein Klein Katz" (My Little Cat) as they slowly and slyly lifted up their skirts, exposing ten black stocking-clad legs. At the end of the song, the sisters flipped up their skirts, exposing their "pussies, " as strategically tucked into the crotch of each of their bloomers was a rather bewildered-looking live kitten. This is an early publicity picture, taken while they were touring Europe.

This theater card was obviously influenced by the photograph. Not only did the artist exercise a bit of license in applying the brilliant colors to the sister's skirts, he crowned the last sister in line with raven tresses, even though all five were blonde. On the back of the card is printed "Volks-Theater Nur Noch Bis 30. Juni.

Another copy of the photograph, this time in bisque. German porcelain companies were quick to cash in on any fad, as this piece from H. Hutschenreuther Porzellanfabrik demonstrates, German companies often copied popular prints, photographs, and postcards of the day, and it is doubtful the the sisters earned any royalties from Hutschenreuther's charming creation. This figurine of the five is 6 inches high. It is incised "3064" and is faintly stamped with the company's mark underneath.

This is a picture of the mark stamped underneath.

Is This Mr. Tuffolino?

In 1879, Italian artist Odoardo Tabbachi created "La Tuffolina" (the diver). According to a June 21, 1879, supplement to Scientific American, the pictured sculpture was "immediately purchased by the King of Italy." The article continues: "The figure could hardly be rendered more beautiful, elegant, or sympathetic, nor more graceful in attitude, representing as it does the bather in the act of diving into the water as if she was an expert swimmer." The article reports that the lovely Tuffolina had so many admirers, "the fortunate sculptor will have difficulty to fill all the orders he has received for copies."

Tabacchi's delectable diver continued to attract admirers for decades, and many German firms, such as Dressel, Kister, and Company, produced their own adaptations of Ms. Tuffolina, in both bisque and china and in a wide variety of sizes, from diminutive damsels to super-sized sirens.

However, there is a very scarce male version (would he be El Tuffolino?). In all my years of collecting, I have only come across him twice before. This is one big boy, at 22 inches tall. For some reason, the other two Tuffolinos were also gigantic (at least in the world of bathing beauty figurines), and each was accompanied by an equally large lady counterpart.

He is of excellent sharp bisque and is extremely well sculpted, from the waves in his hair to the waves at his bare feet.

The painting is as well done and detailed as the modeling. Under his base, he is incised "No. 302" and "3."

Roman Psyche Reborn as a French Bathing Beauty

This bathing beauty is actually the top of a very big powder box. Standing 10 inches tall, she is made of ceramic and decorated in a bold art deco style.












If the pose appears familiar, the belle on the box is borrowed from the Bath of Psyche by Lord Frederic Leighton (1830-1896). Leighton did a bit of borrowing himself, as the pose of Psyche is based on an ancient statue of Venus he had seen in Naples. The Roman poet Lucius Apuleius sets out the legend of Psyche in his work The Golden Ass or Metamorphosis. Psyche was a beautiful mortal woman who became the paramour of Cupid.

A round paper label on the bottom of the box announces that it was made in France. Both the bottom of the box and the lid are incised "14029 R."

Hertwig's Negligé-Damen

This page from an old Hertwig and Company catalogue displays two delectable damsels clad only in teddies of sheer lace, trimmed with fine ribbon. Hertwig advertised these long-legged lovelies as Negligé-Damen gekleidet (women dressed in negligees).

And here are the two Negligé-Damen pictured in the catalogue, still clad in their lace chemises. Of excellent precolored bisque, they are beautifully sculpted, with expressive faces, delicate gesturing hands, slim realistically modeled bodies, and lithe shapely legs. In addition to their lace and ribbon outfits, they have sheer tinted lavender stockings and molded heeled pumps.

The ribbon straps over her slender shoulders have started to shred, but her lace negligee is still intact. The facial features, such as her parted lips, were cold painted and are subject to wear and fading over the years. She is 5 inches long and 3 inches high and any marks are hidden by her original outfit.

This flirtatious flapper retains both her original outfit and vivid coloring. She is 6 inches long and 2.5 inches high.

A German Translation of French Femme-Poupees

Looking both defiant and delectable in her roguishly open short robe, this gorgeous gamine is of excellent bisque. She is 5.5 inches tall and incised "Germany" across the back of her robe and "Sp 594" on her round base.

She clearly was inspired by this print by Maurice Milliere, a popular French illustrator of the 1920s and 30s, who gained fame for his "femme-poupees (doll women)," laughing young ladies with lithe limber bodies, smoky eyes, and fluffy curly hair. The print is in fact entitled La Poupee de Milliere, and Milliere did indeed market little poupees of his femme-poupees, chalkware cuties copied from his prints, with a facsimile of his signature on the base.







However, this bisque beauty does not bear Milliere's signature, and, one assumes, his approval. Here she appears in a German catalogue that originally had been attributed to Hertwig and Company. In 2000, the doll auction company Theriault's sold dolls, figurines, and half-dolls from the archives of Hertwig and Company. These included figurines with the "Sp" mark. Later, in The Ladies of Hertwig, Theriault's published reprints of pages said to be from original Hertwig factory catalogues, including this page. Based on this information, I attributed several figurines in my book to Hertwig. However, Marc and Shona Lorrin, in their book, The Half-Doll, Volume 5, reproduced a page from an old catalogue from Limbach Porzellanfabrik showing that the company used model numbers preceded by "Sp" on its figurines. But why did Hertwig have Limbach catalogues and products in its archives? According to the Lorrins, in 1922, Hertwig took a controlling interest in Limbach, which was suffering from financial difficulties.  Standing next to her on the catalogue page is her nude sister.

Here is her long lost sibling, although missing her original bisque base. This little nubile nude is unmarked.

Ladies of Mystery

Actually there is no mystery who made this masked mademoiselle, because on the back of her base is the crowned intertwined "G" and "W" of William Goebel. Five inches tall and of excellent bisque, this exquisite half doll is part of a scarce and highly sought after series of delicious damsels in black domino masks. The mask is actually molded, not merely painted on, and her blue eyes have black pupils with white highlights. A beauty patch on her cheek calls attention to her full coral lips.

This is a close up of the Goebel mark, which came into use around 1900.

Here is the same masked marvel in full figure. Unmarked, she is 5.5 inches long. Her gray pumps with the darker trim are typical of Goebel, and her legs are tinted gray to represent sheer silk stockings. The wig is a replacement.

Strumming her mandolin, this masked miss is one of the most sought after Goebel ladies. She even has her original wig of white floss. Frankly, wigs were Goebel's weak point. Often, as in this beautiful belle, they were little more than a hank of mohair or floss wrapped around the figure's bald pate and held in place with tiny pins. Because they were not sewn to a supporting wig cap, the fragile wigs tend to unravel and fall apart. As large as she is lovely, she is 5 inches long and 4 inches high. Underneath she is incised "3739" and "B," and is also stamped "Germany" in black.

Another desirable damsel, admiring herself in her mirror. She has the remains of her original floss wig and is 4.5 inches long and 3.75 inches high. Except for a freehand black "E" painted underneath, she is unmarked.

This poor little lady suffered a fall sometime in the past, but she is still lovely and her scarcity makes her well worth some restoration. Despite her tumble, she has retained the remains of her original floss wig. Stamped "Germany" underneath in black, she is 5.5 inches long.

It Takes Two to Tango

A fellow collector alerted me to this image, appearing on the youtube video, Masculine Women, Feminine Men (it appears at 1.27). The reason? 

This toothsome twosome by Galluba and Hofmann.  These delectable dancers are 8 inches tall and incised "9039" underneath. There is no doubt this china figurine was inspired by the postcard image.   But where did the image come from? Although signed, the image from the video was too blurred to make out the signature. 

 Doing a little research on the Internet, I came across this postcard picturing another prancing pair. The style of the painting seemed similar to that of the first image, and the signature appeared to be the same in style and shape. But really first caught my eye, was that this second image also inspired a figurine in my collection. . . .

Clad in gowns covered in glitter, described in German catalogues as flittergold, these bisque tangoing ladies outfitted in Edwardian elegance are 5.25 inches tall and incised “Germany 8918.”

The signature on the postcard is "Usabal." A little research on vintage postcard websites found Usabal was a prolific painter of seductive Edwardian beauties, and had produced a series of couples, male and female or women, entwined in the tango, including both of these images. However, the artist was variously referred to as Louis Usabal, Luis Usabal, Lotte Usabal, or Lottie Usabal, and was identified as Italian, German, or Spanish. After little more research, I came across footage of Spanish artist Luiz Usabal Y Hernandez (1876-1937) painting portraits of silent screen sirens (in the film, he is referred to as "Louis Usabal, famous artist from old Valencia in Spain"). Pulling up examples of Luiz/Louis Usabal's art, including his movie star porfolio, it was clear to me he is the artist of these two images. His style is the same, the signatures are identical, and the time period is right.

All in a Bustle

This beautiful belle hides a secret under her hinged bustle. . .

. . . which, when lifted, reveals a brown beetle crawling up her bare bottom. The beetle is actually molded, not merely painted on. The painting on this high-quality porcelain piece is of the finest, with delicately hand painted floral designs alternating with decorative designs and gilt touches. Not visible in the picture is the dangling garter ribbon at her raised left knee. The quality of the decoration is evident in her hair, with its elaborate tiers of curls striated with individually painted gray lines, and her finely painted aristocratic features. This china lady is 7.25 inches tall. She is an uncommon and hard to find figurine. However, she is also being reproduced. The new piece has lost the many fine painted details of the old, especially the hair, which lacks the delicate striations, and the facial features, which are very simply and blandly painted. The elaborate handpainted designs on the dress are reduced to alternating stripes in the new version, which carries a mark with cyrillic (Russian) lettering. The repro also does not have the garter ribbon. But perhaps the most important detail missing from the reproduction is the bug on her buttocks!

A previous owner helpfully looked up her mark. Carl Thieme did establish a porcelain factory in Saxony in Germany in 1872, and used this mark, along with several others. Thieme died in 1888, and in 1901 the factory began using an "SP Dresden" mark for the Saxonian Porcelain Factory. The factory is still in existence and their current figurines certainly resemble this elegantly erotic lady. I have also seen this figurine with a beehive mark that was also sometimes used by Thieme.

Another lovely lady whose hinged bustle lifts up to expose a rather voluptuous pair of buttocks. I have never seen this particular bustle belle before. She is superbly modeled, from the ruffles in her cap to her gracefully gesturing hands. There is an applied rose, carefully built up of tiny porcelain petals, tucked into her bosom and at her feet are a variety of bright applied flowers. Her light brown hair has darker fine striations, giving the appearance of individual tresses, and the floral design on her underskirt is all hand painted. Her face is particularly pretty, with finely painted features, including brown eyes and parted lips.

Although this piece is marked with the gold anchor used by Chelsea porcelain factory from 1756 to 1769, this mark was widely copied by porcelain companies throughout Europe. While she is beautifully modeled and decorated, the coloring and style are not that of a 18th century figurine. The main indicator that this piece is NOT Chelsea is that it is not modeled of the soft paste porcelain produced by that factory. China first produced what is called hard paste or true porcelain, a mixture of a white clay called kaolin and feldspar. The resulting slip is plastic and can be modeled or molded into intricate shapes or the thinnest vases and, fired at high temperatures, produces a hard, bright white porcelain with smooth, fine grain. The Chinese guarded the secret of their porcelain, which was highly sought after by Europeans, who referred to it as “white gold.” Europeans tried to discover the formula for porcelain, and in the late 1500s, in Italy, soft paste porcelain was created. Soft paste porcelain does not vitrify like hard paste porcelain and must be fired at lower temperatures. It has a more creamy background and is more porous and appears less glassy than hard paste. Soft paste porcelain is also not as plastic as hard paste porcelain and is more difficult to model. Hard paste porcelain was first produced at Meissen in the early 1700s (for the fascinating story of the discovery of the formula for hard paste porcelain by an imprisoned alchemist, check out the book the The Arcanum by Janet Gleeson). Although most people now use the terms china and porcelain changeably, some collectors argue that porcelain should be applied only to the finest, most translucent, high-fired wares.

If she is not Chelsea, who made her? One possibility is the French company of Samson Edmé et Cie was established by Edmé Samson, also known as Samson the Imitator, which produced high quality copies of early Meissen, Dresden, Chelsea, and other famous porcelains, up to the early 1900s. However, I suspect she is a fine quality piece produced by a German manufacturer, sometime in the late 1800s or early 1900s. But, I did not add her to my collection because I thought she was a rare piece of Chelsea, I acquired her because she is NAUGHTY!

The is a Japanese copy of the first bustle belle. Although unmarked, the facial painting, the orangish blushing, and the decal flowers and painting all point to a Japanese manufacturer.

Anyone lifting her bustle hoping for a peek at some callipygian charms will be sorely disappointed, because she is hollow!