As with Erzgebirge and Noah's Arks, Maria and Dieter and I also have a collector's passion for early German squeak toys.  Maria and Dieter tell me the fine early examples are extremely hard to find  in Germany.  It appears most were sent as export.  The example above, part of Maria and Dieter's collection, dates to the Biedermeier period and was found here in the US.  The handpainted background with its still vibrant colors is a dream!  A real treasure!

This baby in cradle squeak toy is in both my collection and also Maria and Dieter's.  My version is somewhat smaller than theirs.  Old German sample books often picture toys like this made in three or more sizes.  Original ribbon, lace and fabric.  Ca. 1850.

 

 

Maria dates this unusual squeaker to 1830.  Note the very good condition of the fabric covering the bellows in the center combining a cat's face on one side and a lion's face on the other.  The lion's mouth is open to reveal a moveable tongue.  Charming!

I recently acquired this rare Erzgebirge squeaker.  We have never before seen Erzgebirge combined with the squeaker platform.  The lady even has a carved nose -- which shows a higher level of craftsmanship. 

Ca. 1900 papier-mache dog from Maria and Dieter's collection.  Every kind of animal was incorporated on a squeak mechanism, and collectors love them!

 

 Mr. Duck was recently delivered by UPS.  Unfortunately, he arrived a little worse for the wear.  A crushed box caused me concern, and when I went to unwrap him I could tell all was not well.  One of the metal springs had been broken and substantially more paper torn on the squeaker platform.  He's now residing at the UPS claims office waiting for a ruling on his future.  What a shame for such a lovely piece to have been damaged.  It's not like I can find another!

Although first produced in Germany in the 1820s-1830s, Noah's Arks from the Erzgebirge region of Germany first gained popularity here in the US around 1880-1890.  They were "Sunday toys" to be played with by the children only on Sundays, as the ark came complete with Noah and his family and was a good way to teach Victorian children about Noah and how he took two of each animal on the ark he built to ride out the 40 days and 40 nights of rain.  As you can imagine, back then only the wealthiest of Victorian households was able to afford an elaborate ark like this -- and to this day arks of this size with hundreds of animals command well into five figures in price range.  Whether the ark is large (like this one above) or small, the price of an ark goes up according to the number of animals accompanying it.  The ark above is a "deep-hulled" ark, also being more desirable (and more expensive) than the flat bottom arks, although today's collectors are crazy about them both. 

The animals are all carved to scale to fit the particular ark they're made for.  Giraffes for the largest of arks can be at tall as 5".

Animals have a wonderful folk art appeal.

 

This large ark comes with Noah and seven family members.  The monkeys are particularly appealing, as are the insects which are found in especially large sets.  Not pictured, but part of my set, are moths with delicate paper wings.

Nice example of a flat bottom ark in bright lavender and lilac colors with paper border.  Roofs are generally grain-painted in red.

A smaller example of a flat-bottom ark 17" long with typical grain-painted roof.

 

This is one of many arks in Maria and Dieter's collection.  Unpainted versions were, of course, cheaper to produce.  For some reason, we rarely see these in the US.  Most American collectors have never been exposed to the unpainted versions and, as a result, they are not properly appreciated here in the US as they are in Germany.   A wonderful deep-hulled ark!!!!

A fabulous ark on two levels.  It is unusual for there to be a door exposing the hull of the ark.  This measures a whopping 30 1/2".  Unfortunately, not many animals available.  Finding animals later to complete an ark is always difficult; in this case probably virtually impossible due to the size of the ark and the scale of the animals that would be needed.  Nonetheless, a beautiful example!

Baskets were an important part of the Amana communal society.  Women and men became quite adept at crafting baskets out of willow.  These baskets are treasured today.   The rare photo shows ladies dressed in Amana calico with sunbonnets cleaning onions for the communal kitchens.  Note the three willow baskets in the foreground.  

These Amana baskets were used for utilitarian purposes.   They were extremely sturdy; thus, many remain today.  I remember as a child having a "potato cellar" in the basement where my mother stored potatoes she had brought in from the garden over the winter in antique Amana willow baskets.

This smaller basket with a bentwood handle has a decorative touch with a small band of peeled willow at the top.  It was no doubt used to bring home meals prepared at the communal kitchens.

 

A small peeled willow basket has the center section stained in purple to be used as an Easter basket to collect eggs at Easter.   Hard to find!

Made completely of peeled willow, its intended use was not as a laundry basket, but for a baby!

The Amana Colonies in Iowa, where my sister and I grew up, is a religious community founded in the mid 1800s by people fleeing religious persecution in Germany.   The community was self-sufficient with no need to venture into the outside world.  As a result, the German language was spoken almost exclusively well into the early 1900s.  It was as if a piece of Germany had been transplanted right in the middle of the United States.   Residents not only brought the language with them, but the crafts and traditions they were raised with in Germany as well.  All that continued in the Amanas and flourished.  The tinsmith was a very important craftsman.   A handful of men in the community created the items used in everyday life.  The sprinkling can with blue paint is an early Amana tin piece treasured today.

Huge tin colanders were a staple in every communal kitchen in the Amanas used for cleaning the produce brought in from the massive communal gardens every summer.

 

 

This lovely painted tin lunch basket carried meals to the workers.

 

Kitchens were stocked with colanders, buckets, pitchers, molds, utensils, cookie cutters, and on and on.  The Amana "running rabbit" cookie cutters were found in every kitchen . . .

 

. . . as were heart molds and heart cookie cutters.

 

My thanks to Carol Schuerer Zuber for allowing me to share the above photo and the photo of the Amana painted tin lunch basket from her collection!

Collectors of confectionary molds know that German manufacturer Anton Reiche is the Holy Grail.   His ice cream, chocolate and marzipan molds from the late 1800s to the early 1900s are the most sought after and valuable molds of the many manufacturers of that time period because of the detail in their workmanship.   That's why I was so excited last year to have found this product brochure from the Anton Reiche company (ca. 1880) on German eBay last year.   It was incorrectly placed and badly described, so I was hopeful no other collectors would find it.  Nonetheless, I was prepared to bid 500 Euros -- and at the end won it for 40!  When it arrived I was surprised to see it is printed on the thinnest tissue paper imaginable with a lovely yellow background (hard to see in the photo).  Amazing that it is intact with no rips or tears.  I can imagine only a handful of these survived as they are so delicate.  It measures 26" x 30" when open and is printed on both sides.   The front side is overprinted in red with "Metall Patent Marzipan Formen, Anton Reiche, Dresden-Plauen.   And on both the front and back are pictured the company's product offerings of the most amazing marzipan molds, size and price of each. 
 

The Reiche firm was founded in 1870, and its production facilities in Plauen employed 1,800 workers at the turn of the century.  

 

You can see why the molds are so sought after.  The detail is amazing!

 

 

There is a mold for almost every animal and bird imaginable.

All molds pictured on the Anton Reiche brochure are produced in what are called "book molds" which are hinged in the center.  I had three Anton Reiche book molds packed away in my "antique cupboard" in the garage for years thinking -- incorrectly -- that they were chocolate molds.  They quickly made their way back into my kitchen, and I'm thrilled to have at least a few Reiche marzipan molds, even though not elaborate examples. 

 

This shows the marzipan mold closed.  It is incised on the top with the mold number.  The back is incised with "Anton Reiche, Dresden."

 

Growing up in the Amana Colonies in Iowa, a religious community often confused with the Amish, my sister and I grew up taking for granted the beautiful Amana furniture, tinware, fabrics, willow baskets, and on and on, that the local craftsmen made for their homes.  Today they are treasured antiques, and Amana estate sales and auctions bring collectors and dealers anxious to buy these lovely pieces.   We were lucky enough to have our Uncle Jacob, a talented furnituremaker, and would visit him every day in his woodworking shop where in his later years he would make footstools for the tourist trade and do caning and rush seats for the locals who needed repairs.  The burl walnut veneer chest above was made by his father.  The chest is an exquisite example of the work of  the Amana cabinetmakers.

Amana furniture traditionally has Shakerlike simplicity and clean lines.

 

But there are pieces that are a little more elaborate and yet simple at the same time.

 

 

 

This one-of-a-kind plant stand was created by our Uncle for Tante Lillie, combining his talent of woodworking and caning.

 

This is a typical Amana one-drawer end table in cherry.   Furniture was traditionally either walnut or cherry . . .

 

 

Although this antique Amana cupboard is made of light-colored wood, the cherry trimwork and knobs on the drawers make a lovely contrast.

Here is a walnut china cabinet from our Oma.  The lines couldn't be simpler!

I suppose "Amana shranks" (cupboards) should have a category of their own as they are furniture but depart from the traditional use of walnut and cherry and are usually found in pine (although there are walnut shranks, and they are coveted).  This is a rare grain painted shrank waist high.   It's an absolute dream, and the photo doesn't do it justice!

I combine walnut and cherry woods in my kitchen.  The plant stand is a massive antique Amana burl walnut piece, and the dropleaf Amana cherry table and chairs with rush seats (a commonly used material for chairs in Amana) were made by my Uncle Jacob for his kitchen in the '40s following a traditional Amana pattern.

 

 

Amana walnut and cherry caned rocking chairs can be found in EVERY Amana household.  This is a rare walnut child's rocker impressed with the makers name and year, 1881.

The talent of Amana cabinetmakers is truly unbelievable.  It is amazing to see the great array of furniture and related items (cutlery trays, clocks, footstools, etc.) that they made . . . and always with great attention to detail and quality!

(Note me posing above right in my birthday photo with a little Amana table!)

A collection has to begin somewhere, and this one is my first.  I wasn't intending to collect more; it just happened.  I don't get excited over porcelain figurines or knick knacks, but the Germans have a way to turn everyday kitchen objects into something whimsical and fun -- never meant for actual use, of course -- and my collection slowly grew as I happened upon them.   As far as I know, no one is able to attribute them to a particular porcelain factory as they are not marked (there were over 200 at the turn of the century in the Thuringian region of Germany) and probably several of the factories had a hand in creating these fanciful ladies, all holding some item which doubles as the spout.  The heads (lids) are removable.  This is called "Benzin Frau," or Gasoline Woman, all decked out with goggles, scarf and fur coat.

This pair of Vegetable Ladies were made from the same mold and topped off with different heads.  Painting one dress blue and another pink differentiates them even further.  The spout on both is a large cucumber.   One frequently finds rhymes about the virtues of staying away from alcohol stenciled on their aprons.   Written in old German script, it is an indication of an early piece.

 

 

 

 

Here the farmer's wife is holding a pig to pour from.

 

 

Clutching a bag which is open at the side, this tired shopper is also carrying a purse, umbrella and dog (Frenchie perhaps?).  As is often done, the scarf around her neck sweeps down her back and doubles as the handle.

 

In this unusual example, the lady is wearing pants (unheard of in those days).  On her purse the words "Hosen Kavalier" are inscribed, Hosen being the German word for pants.  This is obviously done tongue in cheek making a reference to the German comic opera by Richard Strauss, "Rosen (roses) Kavalier."  The sculptor did not forget to include the roses, however.  Notice her hat.  Again, her scarf encirles her and is used as a handle.

 

 

 

Brunhilda obviously works in the local fish market.  She carries knives for fillleting.

 

Kitchen antiques are my weakness, and German spice chests are my favorite!  This example is the star of my collection and probably one-of-a-kind.  It is ca. 1880 and combines lovely ivory carving with the wooden frame, which I think is possibly made of rosewood. 

Note the carved snake which flanks both the left and right of the center medallion on the top and the lovely bouquet of flowers.  A portion of one label can be seen.   Labels have been made to look like banners with the names of the spices etched into the banners.  Each drawer also has an ivory knob.  A wonderful example of German folk art.

Drawers are also divided by ivory strips and lovely ivory columns finish off the sides.  Here you can see a closeup of the extremely tiny nails used to attach the ivory trim and embellishments.  The closeup photo makes the nails appear much larger than they really are. 

Here is a classic early spice chest of fruitwood with labels and knobs in blue and white porcelain.  Layout of the drawers on German spice chests is virtually always the same (although the names of the spices can vary) with two columns of drawers and a long drawer at the bottom for bay leaves.

Pictured is a rare 1800s tin spice box painted in Bierlasur, which is a grain painting technique, done in mustard yellow. 

The spice box opens to reveal a circle of tin cannisters with clear glass lids.  The original grater is fashioned in a long oval shape to fit perfectly in the center, along with the original spoon for dipping the spices.  This was purchased in Germany, and I brought it home with me last week in my luggage.  Many of the spice containers were still full of the original spices.  I decided to empty them before flying, as the dogs at Customs Stateside might zero in on my suitcase with the heavy scent of spices and I would have been sent straight to Agricultural for inspection, which would not have been pretty.  I could envision them confiscating the spice box, so I opted to toss the spices.

This is an 1880s wooden spice box made for the tourist market as it has scenes of Coburg as decorations all over the box.

 

A look inside reveals individual wooden containers with spice names written in old German script.

 

 

A simple fruitwood spice chest with brass knobs and spice names stenciled directly onto the wooden drawers.

My apologies for the delay in my posting of Antique of the Week.  Work pressures and then a recent trip to Germany and Belgium left time for little else.  Now that I'm back and my body clock is slowly becoming adjusted to my time zone, I hope to have regular posts again!  

A small niche of my German Erzgebirge collection substitutes rabbits for people in ordinary scenes from everyday life.  It's hard to find and super-charming!  The room box above is extremely rare.  It is, of course, a school room with the teacher instructing the students on how to paint Easter eggs.  Buckets of colorful paint are stacked on the shelf in the back of the room, while freshly painted eggs line another rack on the wall.  There's even a real chalkboard behind the teacher!

 

 

  

 

Lovely thin paper lines the walls and floor.  Great care was taken to create this scene.

 

 
Pictured is a good example of how a nice Erzgebirge motorcycle with side car was given the unusual twist of rabbit driver and passenger.

 

This same vignette comes in a military theme with human soldiers around a campfire.  This is a hard to find example of the same theme adapted for rabbits cooking their eggs and standing next to a canvas tent. 

 

Here a rabbit vendor sells his wares (eggs) under an umbrella painted to remind you of a toadstool.

 

Erzgebirge vehicles are a favorite of mine.  These two incorporate the Easter theme.  Note the side panels of the vehicle on the right in the shape of ducks.  Both carry Easter eggs.

My cake stand collection began with this vintage glass stand from my Aunt Lillie.  It is a nice large size and displays cakes beautifully.  Thank you to my daughter, Kelsey, for making her Sunflower Cake for this post!

Orange espresso madelines display beautifully on a simple smaller size cake stand.

 

Stacking simple cake stands to showcase smaller pastries is an eyecatching way to set a party table.

 

This early 1880s ironstone cake stand once displayed confections in the Theodore Kaempchen Konditorei (pastry shop) in Germany.  If only we could step back in time and visit Herrn Kaempchen's bakery for a taste!

Another lovely antique ironstone cake stand with scalloped edge displaying clementines.  No need to limit yourself to sweets when using a cake stand!

I have always limited myself to buying cake stands that are simple and uncluttered.   However, I found this antique pressed glass stand to be lovely despite the busy pattern with a simple base (and the price was right!). 

Here an antique children's size cake stand with simple ribbon pattern serves as a base for a scented candle in the powder room.