Gary,
That does it ... now you've got to get a nice case to house and compliment all those first-class units in !!
What a great spot for the eyes to rest on, so much to see, literally alive and "in-tune" to the world of nature. That really looks good.
Thanks for your wonderful additions.
Here's my latest example, I was very pleased to have found him/her?
Great Crested Grebe ...
... by Carl Scheidig, marked with a 1935-1972 company logo. A beautiful small diving bird, the grebe was hunted to near extinction in the U.K. for its decorative feathers, which were used to accent ladies clothing, hats and high-fashion accessories. Vigilant protective measures have seen the numbers increase, and they are once again a common sight throughtout Europe and Asia.
The grebe must have been a favorite if somewhat obscure, bird-study of 20th century German porcelain sculptors. An unusual looking bird with its distinctive headress, these lovely animals can be seen teaching their chicks to dive in freshwater lakes, the adults diving and resurfacing near the floating, bobbing chicks, and then letting the baby birds scramble up unto the safety of their parent's backs for a little "sight-seeing tour."
This porcelain example is of an adult grebe resting on the ground or water's surface, its exaggerated head-plumage making it immediately recognizable to any bird aficionado worth his salt. The sculpture is surprisingly simple with a few very good, basic details to the overall body, but well-refined in the neck and head areas. The beak is elongated slightly too much for my taste and for natural accuracy, but it is well-rendered and has a good, natural quality to the flow of the lines and deeper shadow areas. The painting is also nicely well-understated in general, light pastel shades of tan and light-gray being used define the main body and a darker-green hue to pick out and highlight the animal's unique, distinctively-shaped head.
The German name for this bird is "Haubentaucher," or literally, "crested-diver." The 1941 DJ edition, "Handbuch der deutschen Jagd," volume 1, explains that the grebe or Haubentaucher comes from a very old family of waterfowl, as their feet are webbed differently from those of ducks and most other water-birds. They come from a class of birds known as Steissf�sse and Lappentaucher - "rear-feet" and "rag-diver." The webbed-portions of the bird's feet are more like seperate appendages or skin-flaps attached to the individual toes that help to propel the bird on and underneath the water. The bird's rear-positioned legs are not meant for long-distance walking as they are rudimentary at best. For this reason they are usually seen laying down in close proximity to the water's edge, giving them plenty of time to escape fast predators.
I thought I might again include this Art Deco, Czech example again for comparison, the rear position of the legs being easily seen in this stark, elegant pose. This stylized rendering exhibits very little detail but nevertheless, is also instantly recognizable as a Great Crested Grebe or Haubentaucher. I hope for those of you who enjoy unusual porcelain animal subjects that this one will pass muster? Your thoughts and comments are always most welcomed.
I always look forward to any new porcelain additions that you fellow collectors might care to share with us, and wish you all good hunting ... :-)
Best!
Bill
